Lost Family Series
by Lucinda
Summary: After the destruction of his family, David goes to Sunnydale to heal, and finds Willow. BtVSLost Boys
1. Lost Family, Lost Hopes

fic: Lost Family, Lost Hopes   
  
  
  
Author: Lucinda  
  
rating: Pg 13  
  
pairing Willow/David  
  
disclaimer: I own nobody from Lost Boys or Buffy.  
  
distribution: WLS, Bite me, WWW, NHA, other's please ask  
  
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Pain woke David from black oblivion. Water swirled over and around him, the salt a searing agony in the twin wounds that passed through his chest. He remembered fighting with Michael... being impaled on the horns of an antelope. Everything had gone black after that.  
  
Max's voice echoed in his memory ' As a vampire, you will be almost immortal. You will never age, you will never sicken. But you must feed. The only things that can kill you will be the light of the sun, fire, or a stake through the heart. Holy water will act upon you like acid. You will have eternity as my son, David. You will belong to a family that only death can separate.' He had been part of a family, and he had been able to feel everyone inside. There had been bonds linking them together, so they could feel each other's presences echoing inside each other.  
  
Those bonds had been shattered. His family had fallen. Max, their doting father, gone. Dwayne and Paul and Marco..all gone because of those horrible Froggs from the comic shop. And Michael. He had intended for the loner to belong, to be a part of the family. Instead, Michael had been afraid of them. He had been afraid of what he could be, and had lashed out in that fear by bringing the Froggs down upon them all.  
  
If he wanted revenge, he would have to live past the sunrise. If he wanted to build a new family, he would have to regain his stregnth. He thought he could see the shape of a cave in the rocks. Not their cave, that had sheltered his family, but another in the same rocks.  
  
It was a small opening in the rocks, leading to a smaller chamber. There was no sunlight, but it didn't go anywhere either. The only access was the sea. It would have to do for now.  
  
David clung to the water-slicked stone and tried to plan for the future.  
  
  
  
When darkness fell, David barely had the strength to go to the cave he and his family had stayed in long enough to pack a few things and get his bike. He went into town, and stopped at the butcher shop to get some animal blood.  
  
It tasted terrible.  
  
He didn't have the strength to try to fight a human if they struggled. Most did, not wanting to die. He was too weak from his injuries to risk the chance of further injury and discovery for a fresh meal. Max had told him that animal blood would sustain him, but it wasn't as nourishing as human blood. It also wouldn't fight back. He had to regain his strength before he tried for any more than survival. Max had told him that if he was ever injured, Sire's blood would help him heal. If he was too far to seek his Sire's aid, he should go to a place of strong mystical energy.  
  
There was such a place a few hours north. It was a small town called Sunnydale.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Willow was working on her English homework. Alone. Buffy had training with Giles. Xander and Cordelia had gotten back together after the whole horrible accident at the factory. Oz hadn't forgiven her, and was now seeing some girl from another band. Willow thought her name was Veruca. She had never imagined that a simple kiss could cause so much pain and misery to so many people.  
  
Willow had been infatuated with Xander for years. She hadn't been able to resist a few secret kisses when he finally realized that she was a girl. Now, the last of those kisses had cost her the tentative acceptance she had managed from Cordelia. Oz had decided he couldn't trust her, and wasn't speaking to her anymore. Buffy was to busy trying to make things work with Angel to have time for Willow.  
  
The only time anyone really wanted to talk to her was either to ask for her help tutoring them in their classes or to ask her to look something up on the computer. It was usually something icky.  
  
Willow desperately wished that she had someone to spend time with. To have an attractive guy that wanted to spend time with her just because she was Willow. She forgot that on the Hellmouth, opportunity usually comes with a price.  
  
Willow was sitting on a hill, watching the stars. The night was lovely, and there were no prophecies of impending doom or super nasty demons known to be in the area right now. She had a bottle of holy water with her, and a stake if she needed it. Right now, she just wanted to look at the stars, and pretend life was normal for just a bit. She was guessing a bit about the normal part, but she figured it didn't include causing your former best friend's girlfriend to be impaled. She sighed, life was complicated here.  
  
Where else would a girl wanting to look at the stars need to be prepared to defend herself from vampires? Willow didn't know of anywhere else with the sort of vampire problems that existed in Sunnydale. At least the stars were pretty. She decided to try to remember all the names of the constellations.  
  
David had arrived in Sunnydale. He had even gotten a room at a seedy little motel on the edge of town. He was almost hoping for an aspiring thief to try and break in on him. The shower was worth the expense in and of itself. There was definitely something about this town. He could feel an energy filling the air, and it seemed almost aware of him. It would either help him grow strong or lead him into overconfidence and foolish action. Now to go find a bite to eat.....  
  
A few hours later, David had figured out the locations of some of the more important places to know in this town. There was one club, called the Bronze. A few bars of various levels of quality. He knew which way the beach was, and where the local ice skating arena was. It was important to know the good hunting areas anywhere you went. He had also been attacked by a wiry fellow with a knife that had wanted to kill him and take his jacket. The guy hadn't tasted too bad. Now, David just wanted to meander around for a bit.  
  
David wandered around for over an hour, learning that for a small town, this place had a lot of cemeteries. Ornate tombstones, family crypts, benches for visiting mourners... the people of Sunnydale seemed quite willing to invest in their cemeteries. There were also a couple new vampires that he watched rise out of recent graves.  
  
Looked like there was a definite vampire population here in Sunnydale. Not much of a surprise, really. The surprise was that they apparently used the barbaric method of turning - where you ended up buried and woke up trapped in a coffin six feet underground. Max had told him about that method, and had warned him against it. That way led to mental instability, and difficulty in interacting with humans.  
  
David could avoid the locals. They couldn't be that dangerous if they turned their family members and left them to be buried in the ground. David wasn't here to try to gain a permanent power base. He wanted to regain his strength. There was also the question of Michael and the Froggs. He was considering his options as he walked, and eventually the path lead him outside of town entirely.  
  
He was so caught up in his thoughts that he almost ran into the tree. There was a large oak tree less than a foot in front of him. He looked around, and realized that he was entirely outside of town. The glow of it's lights could be seen down and to his left. To his right was a clearing. There was someone sitting in it, apparently looking at the stars.  
  
She was beautiful. She had red hair that fell down her back like a waterfall. She was wearing a pair of loose denim jeans and a long sleeved shirt that was in multicolored green stripes. One leg was extended out in front of her, the other pulled up to her chest, with one arm wrapped around her knee, the other pointing at the stars. There was a backpack sitting in the grass beside her, and what looked like a small bottle of water sitting beside the backpack. Loneliness surrounded her like a cloak.  
  
Why would someone like her be alone? Were not only the vampires of this town crazy but the humans as well? She was lovely, and unless there were serious personality flaws, there was no reason for her to be alone. He realized that she was murmuring to herself. Listening carefully, it was apparent that she was naming the constellations of the stars. Smart as well as lovely... he wanted her. He could see spending the next fifty years with someone like her. Maybe he should be a bit more careful this time though. Perhaps he should get to know her a bit better before trying to make her part of his family.  
  
David stood there, watching the redhead name the stars. She had a pretty voice. He moved just a bit closer, trying to get a better look at her.  
  
A twig snapped under his boot.  
  
She turned around, her litany of stars forgotten. Her eyes were wide, startled as she looked to see what had made the noise. They were a striking green color, like new leaves. One of her hands clutched the bottle of water, the other was searching for something on the ground behind her.  
  
"Hey, relax. I didn't mean to scare you." David spoke quickly, holding his hands out in what he hoped was a non-threatening manner. She looked ready to bolt, and he wanted her to stay. "My name's David. I'm new in this area."  
  
"I'm Willow. I've lived here all my life. Umm." She was fidgeting with the bottle of water in her hand. " How did you find this clearing if you're new in Sunnydale?"  
  
"Find it? Actually, I was thinking and walking, and then there was this big tree in front of me. And here you are. I thought maybe I could say hello." He smiled at her question, hoping that she wouldn't just leave anyhow. She seemed a bit shy. What was so special with the water in her hand anyhow? Think quickly, how to not lose her.....  
  
"Maybe you could show me around a bit. Tell me a bit about this town. I came from a small town a few hours south of here, things are probably different here in Sunnydale. Santa Carla is an amusement park town full of tourists."  
  
"Sunnydale's not big with the tourists, no tourist-y things, so no tourists", Willow responded, trying not to babble, her hands twisting the water bottle cap almost off, then tightening it again.  
  
They ended up talking for a while about what there was to do in Sunnydale. He managed to persuade her to let him walk her back into town, 'because sometimes it's just not safe at night'. She had smiled when he said that. He had also managed to talk her into meeting him for coffee tomorrow at nine, in the local coffee shop. She had suggested they meet there, rather than the Bronze, saying that it was quieter, they could actually talk.  
  
He walked her back into Sunnydale, talking about the recent weather. It had been fairly clear in Sunnydale, which made it easier to look at the stars. Willow had mentioned that she hadn't had much time for that lately.  
  
They were both smiling when they parted company. Willow was still clutching her bottle of water. David realized she never drank any of the water, just carried it around. He could comment on it when they meet again, "You must get really thirsty"  
  
"You never know when it will come in handy" Willow replied with a small smile.  
  
David walked back towards his room at the motel. Her name was Willow. He had talked with her, and she seemed to be very nice. They had made a date to meet for coffee and conversation. She had been shy, but there was a brilliant mind under that shining red hair of hers. He was looking forward to getting to know her better.  
  
It would probably be safest to wait before bringing the whole vampire aspect up. People tended to react badly. They either thought he was crazy, or panicked, and were afraid of him. Neither one was what he wanted from Willow.  
  
With someone like Willow, he would never feel desolate and alone. With Willow, he had felt almost happy, and worried that she would leave. She was charming, in an entirely unconscious way. She didn't focus on talking about herself, or current trends. She didn't seem to be trying to make him react to her in any particular way. She had just seemed to want to talk to him, and to let him be himself. Other than looking like she might bolt at any wrong move.  
  
He would have to move carefully with Willow, she was too special to risk scaring away. He wanted her to want to be with him, brilliant intellect and all the hidden depths of her. There was too much potential risk if she was afraid of him. If he was careful about this, Willow would be his. Forever.  
  
* * *  
  
Willow sat on her bed, her mind whirling with too many thoughts. She had wanted to go look at the stars. She had been interrupted, well, not actively interrupted, discovered perhaps? Yes, she had been discovered in her observations by David. He was gorgeous. He was a bit intimidating, with his leather jacket, and his earring, and his smooth self confident posture that proclaimed to the world that there was nothing he was afraid of. His eyes were brilliant, full of secrets and passion.  
  
Willow wanted that passion.  
  
At least, Willow wanted someone to look at her with passion, like she was the most wonderful woman in their whole world. She wanted someone to be with, to be able to talk to about anything. Someone to look at the stars with, or go for long walks together. Kissing... she was positive that kissing David would be full of passion and Willow wanted someone to be passionate with. She wanted very much for someone to desire her, someone that would see her as a young woman, not one of the guys. She wanted something real.  
  
She shook her head, trying to slow her thoughts. David was new in town, she barely knew him. Yes, he was sexy and breathtaking and possibly dangerous, but why on earth would he want anything like that with her? He would end up with someone else, someone pretty and confident and socially adaptable. The really great guys - or even the interesting ones never wanted Willow.  
  
So far, the only guys that had wanted her had been a demon on the internet, a werewolf musician for a brief time, and Xander because she had been involved with someone else. She'd sighed over Xander for years, and he never noticed her as a female until she was dating Oz. That told Willow that either she had to be with someone else, or a guy interested in her had to be something other than human to be interested in her.  
  
Her chances with David were slightly higher than nothing. But, tonight, she could dream.  
  
Willow was in cheerful mood as she got ready for school. She had gone to sleep remembering how David had looked standing in the clearing, and that had inspired enjoyable, if unlikely dreams with David in a starring role. There was also gleeful anticipation of meeting him tonight for coffee. She was in a good mood.  
  
Her good mood didn't last. Xander was still avoiding her, and pointedly not talking to her at school. He actually bumped into her in the hallway, leaving her sprawled on the floor, books and papers scattered everywhere. Xander hadn't even looked back to see if she was okay.  
  
Cordelia and her flock of minions were especially mean, insulting her hair, her clothing, and her choice in shoes. They were actively looking for her, moving down the hall to seek out and insult her. The only safe place to hide from them was the library. Buffy saw her, and immediately started to tell her all about the movie she had gone to watch with Angel last night and how wonderful he had looked in his dark pants and sweater. Buffy didn't seem to realize that Willow had scraped her knee, or that she had been nearly in tears from Cordelia and her flock.  
  
Giles hear Buffy talking to someone, and upon seeing Willow, he asked her to help him look up something on the 'dread machine'. That was the high point of her day at school. The rest of the day was miserable. Xander was snubbing her. Buffy was to wrapped up in Angel to notice anything else, including studying for tomorrow's quiz in Biology. Oz was in the school parking lot with Veruca, too wrapped up in his new girlfriend to care about Willow.  
  
The only thing that kept Willow going that day was the thought of talking to David later that night.  
  
David was waiting for the sun to go down. Unfortunately, patience had never been his strong point. He flipped through the pitiful selection of channels on the little television in his room. He had even folded and put away his clothing. He was still bored and impatient.  
  
Finally, as soon as he thought it might be safe, he left the hotel room. The evening air was humid, and full of the noises of insects and the sound of people. He had to move around, walk some of this tension out before he met with Willow. Maybe he'd best go to a store and pick up some books to read in the daytime. There wasn't anything worth watching on the television. The last fading bits of the sun causing a tingle on his face reminded him of why vampires didn't do days.  
  
* * *  
  
Willow was in the corner of the coffee shop, waiting for David. He was almost five minutes late, and she was starting to worry if he had actually meant to meet her here or not. Willow wasn't certain what she would do if he stood her up, the anticipation of seeing him again had been all that had helped her through the day.  
  
Finally, David came rushing into the store, looking in slight disarray. He was all red, as if he were very flushed or had caught too much sun and burned a bit. He looked around a bit, and seemed relieved to spot her tucked into the corner booth. Her backpack was sitting beside her, the top of a bottle sticking out of the side pocket. He could see the edge of a label, and that it was filled with something clear.  
  
"Hey, you're here." Willow smiled when she spotted him. " I mean, of course you're here, because otherwise I wouldn't be talking to you and...ummm it's just been a really long day. How was your day? You look all red, I hope you didn't get too much of a sunburn."  
  
David sat down across from her, grinning slightly. " Not too bad of a sun burn, considering. My day was incredibly boring, and I'm sorry that I was late to get here. I had a few things that I needed to pick up, and I made the discovery that things are sometimes farther away than I thought they were in this town. Tell me about your day?"  
  
David listened as Willow talked about her day. He did ask a few questions that made her go back a bit and explain some of the history involved. He felt incredibly jealous about this Xander. He had ignored Willow for years, chasing every other female in town, and then went after Willow when she was dating someone else? He also felt jealous of Oz, and wondered exactly how far she and Oz had gone in their relationship. At the end of her long explanation of her miserable day, and the history behind it, David was fuming.  
  
"That's terrible! It takes two people for a stolen kiss, and it sounds like this idiot hasn't had any problems after the whole mess. If the musician can't understand the idea of a kiss before probable death, you're better off without him. You deserve someone that will understand life, and cherish you. Doesn't sound like Fluffy's being a very good friend right now either."  
  
David was outraged - couldn't they see how precious someone like Willow was? His temper was showing, and his teeth had gotten just a bit longer and more pointy. "If you want, I could rip their heads off for you."  
  
"Ummmm. that sounds a bit messy. Maybe a bit extreme, there are always consequences, you know? I think if you went and tried to rip their heads off things would get ugly and messy.. the police frown on that sorta thing, not here in Sunnydale so much, but in most places." Willow babbled a bit, blushing. "Y'know, it's kind of sweet of you to offer. In a gory and violent type of way, anyhow. Nobody else seems to worry about how I'm feeling in this whole ugly mess. They seem to think it's mostly my fault, with a little bit of Spike to blame for kidnapping us."  
  
Her smile at the simple fact that he cared was worth the sunburn.  
  
David and Willow met a few more times, always in the evenings after dark. They talked about all sorts of things, and generally had fun hanging out. They went ice skating. David was a terrible ice skater. Willow wasn't much better, but they had a great deal of fun, which was what counted.  
  
Willow finished her book report, and left the school library, her backpack slung over he shoulder. She was cutting through the park on her way home when she heard the sounds of a fight. A vampire was attacking David. To Willow's surprise, David seemed to be doing fairly well, and he clearly knew how to fight. That was when the second vampire came out of the bushes to help his friend take David down.  
  
Willow could deal with this. She wasn't about to let some random minion vampire kill David. She pulled out her bottle of water and opened the cap, right before flinging the water at the second vampire. Some of it splashed past the unfortunate minion, landing on the fighting men.  
  
It was holy water.  
  
The minion screamed, right before Willow thrust her stake into it's back. It disintegrated, revealing the fighters to Willow. The water had left smoking burns on the arm of the minion attacking David. It had also left similar wounds on David's hand, which currently had a set of claws as sharp as the minions, if much cleaner. His eyes were vampire gold.  
  
"No..." Willow barely breathed the denial before bolting from the park.  
  
Her expression was of surprise and painful dismay.  
  
David was about to go after her when the attacking minion grabbed his arm. Right, kill this idiot first, then go find Willow and try to explain things to her. This was not how he intended for Willow to find out.  
  
She was completely gone by the time he had dispatched the minion. The only sign of her having been in the park, apart from the burns on his hand, was a fallen water bottle, the cap on the ground where she had stood. David reached down to pick up the bottle, and the bits of water on the opening burned his hand. He swore in pain as he dropped it back to the ground.  
  
At least he knew why she carried the bottle of water now.  
  
* * *  
  
Willow was face down on her bed, crying into her pillow. David was a vampire. He had seemed so nice, rather sweet actually. She had thought that he liked her, and enjoyed spending time with her. But, he was a vampire. How could she ever have a relationship with a vampire? Had he been a vampire since he arrived in Sunnydale? Had he just been playing some twisted game by spending time with her? Or was this a new thing, a terrible development since they had gone ice skating the night before?  
  
Willow cried into her pillow for crushed hopes and painful discoveries. She couldn't know when this had happened, and she didn't know what David had been thinking. Only that once again, her chance at happiness looked to be shattered before it could really begin.  
  
David was finally forced by the approaching sunrise to put his search on hold. Willow had run from him, upset that he was a vampire. He had to find her, to talk to her and try to make her understand. He had to make her see that he didn't want to hurt her. He stopped, suddenly hit with a realization. He had fallen in love with Willow Rosenberg.  
  
Now, the biggest obstacle was the fact that she had found out he was a vampire and ran away frightened and upset by that discovery. David had to find Willow and try to convince her that he cared, that he wasn't trying to hurt her. From the way she had been prepared with a wooden stake and holy water, he didn't think it would be easy.  
  
* * *  
  
Willow was very quiet the next day. She went to school, wearing a pair of jeans and a shirt he had given her advertising Santa Carla's amusement park. She thought about David all day. It no longer bothered her that Xander had decided a mistake, that he had been as responsible for as she was, was worth sacrificing years of friendship. The past week since she had met David had convinced Willow that she could live without Xander in her life.  
  
She ignored Cordelia's sniping, as well as the whispered insults of Harmony and Aura, two of Cordelia's followers. Apparently, someone from school had seen her and David at the ice rink. That story had circulated around, and several people decided to insult her poor skating. A few people had wanted to know who the cute guy had been, and why he was with Willow. She took all the comments in stride, not dwelling on the jealousies of those who thought David was to cute to be with Willow.  
  
Giles asked her to stay after school to help research a new demon. Buffy was complaining about all the problems involved with trying to date a vampire. She and Angel were having some difficulties again. They kept finding too many things they couldn't do together. Buffy also made a reference to the happiness clause.  
  
Willow started to think after that. David had seemed far nicer than the majority of the vampires Willow had met. There had to be a reason for that, and she wondered what it was. Did David have a soul? Could a vampire without a soul love? Were there any old curses with hidden clauses or crazed relatives likely to show up?  
  
She had made a few discoveries in all her thinking. She was already falling for David, if not completely in love with him already. If he was really interested in her, not playing some game with her feelings, she was willing to try to take a chance that they could build a future. She could deal with moonlight walks instead of daylight picnics. All she had to know was if he really cared about her.  
  
Well, and it wouldn't hurt to know for sure that he didn't plan to end the world or take over the hellmouth with an army of vampiric minions.  
  
It took David three nights before he found Willow. He had searched every bit of Sunnydale, without having any luck. He had learned that Sunnydale had a great many demons and vampires. The vampires here were different, more feral and unthinking than he and his family had ever been. Sunnydale was far more dangerous that Santa Carla had ever been. Willow was somewhere in this town, and he had no idea if she was safe.  
  
David was in emotional turmoil, wanting desperately to find her, to try to make everything better. At the very least, he wanted her to be safe from the dangers that filled Sunnydale. Near to giving up, he had gone to the clearing where he had first seen her.  
  
Willow was sitting there, looking at the stars. She was sitting on a blanket, with her backpack beside her. There was also another bottle of water. She looked wonderful.  
  
"Willow. I've been looking all over for you." David smiled slightly as he spoke. He had to talk to her. It was so good to know she was safe. "Can we talk?"  
  
Willow turned, looking at him. Her eyes widened when she saw him, and she smiled tentatively. "Hey. Um.. talking would probably be good. Have a seat?"  
  
David smiled in relief. Willow was willing to talk to him. There might still be a chance for him...for them. They sat there, David drinking in the sight of her, Willow fidgeting with a loose thread of the blanket, sneaking glances at David from under her lashes. It had to be a good sign that she wasn't fidgeting with the water bottle.  
  
"Where do we begin? I never meant for you to be afraid of me, Willow. I.. this is really awkward." David paused a moment, trying to gather his thoughts. "I wanted to get to know you. The more I knew about you, the more I liked you. I think I understand why you were..upset though. I've seen some of the local vampires. They give vampires a bad name. Must be something in the air that makes them all crazy."  
  
"How long, David? Is this something that happened to you in Sunnydale? Were you already a vampire when I first met you? What is it you really want?" Her questions came tumbling out, her voice quavering a little on the last one. Her eyes were filled with worry and doubt.  
  
David realized what she was afraid of. Willow didn't know if he was sincere in his feelings for her. She was afraid that everything they had done together was nothing more than an elaborate game to him. The idea that she was sitting there, doubting his feelings made his angry and sad at the same time. Angry that the people here had ignored her so long that she could doubt someone could want her. Sad that she had spent her life in this miserable town. Sad and hurt that she could doubt what her felt for her.  
  
He reached out and caught her hand in his. He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. "I want you. I want to see if we can have something. You make me feel, Willow. You make me feel so many things, and I don't want to loose you. I want to try to build a future with you." David looked into her eyes, trying to convey the intensity and sincerity of his words with his eyes.  
  
"I've been a vampire for a while, since long before I came to Sunnydale. I had a family in Santa Carla. Max was our father, he took care of us, taught us what we needed to know. We were there for each other. Problem is, we tried to bring somebody else into the family. He didn't take the idea well. Ended up that my whole family got killed. I was almost killed with them. Max told me..." David's voice trailed off. He swallowed, trying to get his emotions under control.  
  
"He said if something bad ever happened, if I needed to heal, there are places with a lot of energy. I didn't listen very well when he tried to tell me about all the mystical stuff. Kinda wish now that I had listened better, been less of a frustration to him. I came here so I could heal, regain my strength. Then, I saw you. You looked gorgeous sitting here under the stars." David smiled at Willow, hoping...  
  
"Spending time with you has been great. You make me think that I might have a future, that things aren't quite so bad. I wouldn't hurt you Willow, not ever. All I'm asking for is a chance. Please?"  
  
Willow looked at David, his expression hopeful. There were so many emotions in his eyes... She felt like she could gaze into them forever. Forever. David had forever, but Willow didn't. Would she be able to stand being with someone who would never grow old? Would David want to turn her into a vampire at some point in the future?  
  
"But you're a vampire, and I'm mortal. Wouldn't that cause problems? What if in a few years you decided I look too old for you?" Willow had to voice some of her concerns. "I don't know if I could get used to the idea of being with somebody that killed all the time..."  
  
"There are other ways to feed than killing. As for that... the vampires here in Sunnydale are barbaric. Max never buried me. He didn't just grab me some night, drain me and have me wake up trapped in my own grave." David shuddered at the thought.  
  
"You almost have to expect problems from someone that had that happen. I don't have to kill all the time if you don't want me to. As for the forever, I can give you forever if you want. If you take some of my blood, it will change you part of the way. You will be stronger, heal faster. You wouldn't age. Half vampires don't burn in the sunlight, not like full vampires. Halfs don't need blood quite the same way either, so you wouldn't have to worry about having to hunt. We wouldn't have to lose each other."  
  
Willow considered David's words very carefully. Part of her wanted to research this idea, of partial vampires and what side effects there were. The majority of her didn't care. David wanted a future with her. "I like the idea of being with you. I might not want to stop aging quite yet though. Can we try? Maybe we can go away somewhere after I graduate, and try to live somewhere, hopefully without any vampire hunters or need for them."  
  
"You want to stay until graduation, huh?" David smiled, delighted that Willow wanted a future with him. " I guess I can cope with that. Promise to be careful when I hunt." He pulled her close, hugging her to him. "We can go anywhere you want, as long as we're together."  
  
They sat there under the stars for a while, David's arms wrapped around Willow. The future was definitely looking up.  
  
Willow and David were much happier now that they were confident that they had each other for the future. Willow no longer worried about the opinions of Cordelia or her friends, and had actually gone from ignoring them to occasionally insulting them back. Xander was still ignoring her, and Willow had decided that she could live that way. If Xander didn't want to talk to her, it was his loss.  
  
Rumors were circulating now that Willow had been seen in the company of a dangerous looking blond, and people were gradually getting the idea that Willow had a boyfriend. He wasn't going to drop her either. David's influence showed a bit in her wardrobe as well. She wore darker colors, and her jeans not as baggy as before. There were occasional bits of leather, and she was more confident about herself overall.  
  
Buffy was starting to wonder a bit, trying to figure out why Willow had never offered to introduce them to her new guy, if she had one. Maybe she had just made a new friend, after all, it wasn't like she had that many to begin with. Buffy had also realized that most of the people that Willow did know hadn't been spending time with her. Xander still wasn't talking to Willow. Cordelia...it would actually be better if Cordelia didn't talk to Willow, probably. Willow had definitely developed some more self confidence lately. Her clothing had changed a bit as well. Maybe this new guy in Willow's life needed to be checked out?  
  
* * * *  
  
Elsewhere, David and Willow were planning a long and happy future together. David would regain some more of his strength, and Willow would finish high school. Then, they could travel a bit, see some of the country.   
  
They would make a new life together.  
  
end Lost Family, Lost Hopes 


	2. Family Rebuilt

author: Lucinda  
  
rating: pg 13, about like the show  
  
pairing: Willow/David  
  
sequel to Lost Family, Lost Hopes  
  
disclaimer: I do not own anyone from Buffy the Vampire Slayer or anyone from Lost Boys. no profit is being made.  
  
distribution: Charity's site, others please ask.  
  
Buffy had been thinking about the matter for far too long. She had to talk to someone about it, and she had decided that Xander would be the best choice. He was the other person that knew the most about Willow, maybe he could help figure out why she had been acting all strange. Giles hadn't been any help. All he'd said was that since none of them had been really talking to Willow, it was only reasonable for her to seek someone that would have time to spend with her.  
  
Xander would be able to help decipher the rumors. After all, if Willow really did have a new boyfriend, wouldn't she have introduced him to them by now? Wouldn't she have asked Buffy to make sure he wasn't some sort of demon or monster in disguise? She also wondered why Willow hadn't made more of an effort to get them to talk to her more. She almost never went to the Bronze with them now, and they hardly talked in school except during research sessions...  
  
Buffy went searching for Xander, and found him and Cordelia kissing in the audio-visual room, between a pair of overhead projectors. It wasn't really a surprise, but she almost hated to interrupt them. They had had a rough time lately, considering the impalement issue.  
  
"Xander, Cordy? I know you're having a lot of fun, but let me interrupt a bit. Something's up with Willow." At the sound of Buffy's voice, Xander and Cordy separated, blushing and not quite looking at Buffy.  
  
"You mean the part where she's started insulting me? Or the part where she's suddenly got this hot blond boyfriend?" Cordelia was the first to recover her voice.  
  
"She doesn't spend any time with us anymore. Hey... what's this about a boyfriend?" Xander hadn't wanted to believe the rumors. Willow had Oz, and then she blew that relationship. He refused to let himself think about the fact that he had held some responsibility for that. Or for the fact that he wasn't making any efforts to spend time with the girl that had been his best friend since kindergarten.  
  
"Get a clue, Harris. Everyone knows that Willow's been spending a lot of time with this blond guy. He's new in town, got sort of a hot bad boy look going. He seems completely devoted to Willow from what Harmony said. Although what he sees in her..." Cordelia shrugged, dismissing Willow's appeal as a girlfriend.  
  
"I'm worried. She's been acting different since she started spending time with this guy that she hasn't even told us about. She's dressing different, she's insulting Cordy... I say we should check this guy out." Buffy decided to interrupt before Cordelia could go on her usual rant about how terrible Willow was. She was still bitter about her impalement.  
  
They had decided to investigate, and so Xander and Cordelia joined Buffy for a 'patrol' and decided to check the various areas that this guy could be. Cordelia had actually seen Willow and this guy together, so she knew what he looked like. Xander didn't want to let Cordy go off alone with Buffy, knowing how the two had occasionally clashed. Besides, what teenage male would pass up the opportunity to spend the evening with two lovely women?  
  
They searched the town, actually finding and staking a few minions near the Bronze. They were actually on the edge of the warehouse section, favored lair area of evil bad guys, when Cordelia whispered to Buffy.  
  
"Hey! That's the guy that's been hanging out with Wilow."  
  
The three trailed after him. Buffy had to admit that he was definitely a hottie, pale blond hair, leather jacket, and was that an earring? How did Willow ever manage to get the nerve to talk to this guy? The blond guy was following someone, a very average looking guy, probably somebody working second shift. He trailed the guy into an alley. Buffy's slayer sense was prickling her, something was not all right here. She edged closer, peeking around the corner of the alley.  
  
The blond had grabbed the other man, and had his face buried in his throat. After a few moments, he let the man's body drop into a crumple on the ground. There was a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were golden.  
  
Buffy grabbed her stake and charged at him, ready to kill. There was a blur of motion, and Buffy had the impossible impression that he had simply gone straight up, and he was gone. She stood there in confusion for a few moments, trying to find where the vampire had gone. In the end, she slid the stake back up her sleeve, and left the alley. There was a definite problem with Willow's new boyfriend.  
  
The trio completely missed the soft whimper from the man that had fallen in the alley. He was left lying amidst the scattered papers and wrappers.  
  
end part 1.  
  
  
  
Buffy, Xander and Cordelia rushed to the school, hoping to find Giles still in the library. He was forever telling Buffy that she should inform him of anything unusual that she encountered on her patrols, flying vampire, something she had been assured by both her watchers was not possible, definitely qualified. Cordelia had paused to pull out her cell phone and place an anonymous tip to the police that there had been a body in an alley, no she hadn't taken a closer look, do something about it.  
  
They found the side door to the school unlocked, and made their way into the building. The lights were mostly out, giving the whole place a really creepy feel. They went into the library, nervous and staying close together.  
  
"Giles? You still in here? I ran into something majorly wiggy out there and....." Buffy called into the library, oddly nervous to see it bathed in shadows.  
  
"Ah, Buffy. I am in my office. There was a crate that just arrived from London, and I wanted to inspect the contents." Giles answer was a little distracted.  
  
They crowded into his office, feeling uneasy about the nights discovery. He was the watcher, the man with the answers, or at least, the man with the books that had the answers. There had to be a logical explanation.  
  
"Giles, we were on patrol and there was this vampire in the warehouses and I swear to you he just flew away. Whoosh, right up into the air like a fanged superman." Buffy was worried, and it showed.  
  
Now Giles was concerned. "Are you certain that this vampire didn't simply leap up and catch something?"  
  
"NO, Giles, there was nothing there to have caught! He either flew away or became invisible. I think this is a big problem. Flying vampires would be rather bad, invisible ones would be much worse. We have to look in your dusty old books for answers, 'cause this is really wierd." Buffy was most insistent. She was even volunteering to do research.  
  
Giles considered that for a moment. All three of them, the ones that tried the hardest to get out of research, were standing before him, insisting that this be looked into, demanding to consult the books. Either he was asleep and having a most bizarre dream, or something had disturbed them a great deal. He'd better start research on the assumption that he was awake.  
  
Meanwhile, David was meeting Willow for coffee before they went ice skating. Neither of them were particularly talented at it, but they always had fun. After Willow had learned that he was a vampire, they had talked about the matter. He had promised her that he wouldn't kill random people, and he would try not to kill at all. But... the Slayer had seen him feeding. That had to be trouble, even if he had left the guy alive.  
  
Maybe Willow would have a suggestion. The slayer had looked about the same age as Willow, maybe she would know who the girl was and how to deal with her. David had no desire to be impaled again.  
  
"Willow?" David looked around the shop a bit, finally seeing Willow in the corner, looking at something in an old leather bound book. Hearing his voice, she looked up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling at him. He walked towards her, glad as always to see her.  
  
"Willow, I think we have a problem."  
  
end part 2.  
  
Willow had found a book about Vampire history. It talked about different bloodlines, and how some had become renowned for certain things. It also went into detail about some incredibly vicious clan fighing, between some of the different bloodlines. She had borrowed it from the library, and was reading it in the coffee shop. Hearing David call her name, she looked up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.  
  
"Willow, I think we have a problem." David looked worried.  
  
"What's wrong?" Willow couldn't think of any reason for David to be this worried unless something had happened. Had some of the local vampires decided he was a rival, or those horrible Froggs come looking for him?  
  
"I was followed tonight, when I went out for a quick bite. The Slayer. She saw me, and tried to come after me with a stake." David paused, thinking thing over. " I didn't do any permanent harm to the guy, but... I don't think she stopped to check on him. Any advice on this?"  
  
"Oh, this is bad. Remember how I told you about my friend Buffy that's been all wrapped up in trying to fix things with her boyfriend? I sort of didn't tell you quite all about her. She's the Slayer. It probably wouldn't do much good to try to talk to her right now..." Willow's voice trailed off as she thought frantically about what they could do. "I think our best chance would be to talk to Angel. He's the guy Buffy's all hung up over, and he's actually also a vampire. Mmmm, more the local sort once, but he's better now, and that's a long story. He will probably still think this is a bad idea, but he'll probably at least listen to us."  
  
Now that they had the beginnings of a plan, they had a cup of coffee, and went out to fall down at the ice skating rink. They intended to have an enjoyable evening together regardless of anyone else's opinion.  
  
The next evening, Willow went towards the woods, intending to meet David in their clearing and then take a nice moonlight walk together. She didn't notice the fact that she had someone following her.  
  
Buffy and Xander had decided to follow Willow, to see if she knew anything about what her boyfriend was up to when she wasn't there. Cordelia was not following, her parents were hosting a dinner party, and she was expected to be there. Buffy was trying to figure out where Willow could possibly be going, and when had she started to wear mostly backless halter tops anyhow? After a bit, Xander recognized the path.  
  
"There's a clearing up along the path. Willow used to go there a lot to look at the stars." He shared the information with Buffy.  
  
They watched in dismay and shock as Willow met the blond vampire from the night before. Willow gave him a big hug, and they kissed before walking off into the woods, hand in hand.  
  
"How could she... what could she possibly see in him? He's a vampire! Shouldn't Wills be a bit suspicious of a boyfriend that only comes out after dark? And eeeewww, he's probably got blood-breath, how sick." Xander could not believe what he had seen. How could Willow do this? Didn't she know that vampires were bad? They killed people, and you couldn't trust them.  
  
"Well, he is rather a hottie. Besides, if he brushes then there won't be any...umm never mind. Wrong page, Willow should not be seeing a vampire. It isn't safe." Buffy was rather shocked herself. She was also worried.   
  
What did this vampire want with Willow?  
  
end part 3.  
  
Xander was muttering about Willow and her new boyfriend the lord of the undead, and what was it about vampires anyhow? He couldn't figure it out. He continued to rant about this until Cordelia smacked him in the back of the head. He looked at her, open mouthed with surprise.  
  
"Why is it bothering you so much that her guy is a vampire? You haven't been worrying about Willow's boyfriend eating us as his late-night snacks. You haven't been saying 'oh, I hope her vampire isn't trying to open the hellmouth' or 'please no army of minions and hostile take-overs'." She was glaring at Xander, her eyes slightly narrowed.  
  
"But... vampires are bad." Xander faltered a bit under Cordelia's glare, certain that she was very mad at him, but not certain as to why.  
  
"You aren't focusing on the vampire, you're focusing on Willow. I think you're still hung up over Willow. You aren't sorry for kissing her at all! I can't believe I spent so much time with you!" Having worked herself up into a furious state of indignation, Cordelia left Xander standing there. She stormed off, driving away with a squeal of tires  
  
Having witnessed this interesting scene from the shadows, Angel decided to go speak to Rupert Giles. Maybe he could help explain this about Willow having a vampire boyfriend. It sounded a bit... unexpected. Willow was to smart to get involved with the type of vampire that frequented the hellmouth. He nodded slightly, and headed into the library.  
  
Giles was sitting at the large wooden desk, with books piled around him. Some sat separate, opened to sections. Giles was currently turning the pages of yet another book, his sleeves rolled up, collar unbuttoned. His hair was in disarray, and a cup of tea sat cold on the table.  
  
"Some new evil afoot at the hellmouth?" Angel's voice startled the Watcher, causing him to jump slightly.  
  
"Ah, Angel. New evil... well, it seems that Buffy encountered a vampire on patrol that could fly. I am at a bit of a loss to explain how that was possible, so I'm looking in the books. The closest I've found are some hints that different bloodlines occasionally possessed special abilities." Giles tried to calm himself. Angel was not evil anymore, there was no cause for alarm.  
  
"So this doesn't have anything to do with Willow having a vampire for a boyfriend?" Angel was trying to get some answers. He assumed that Giles had them. In this case, he was proven wrong.  
  
"WHAT!! Willow dating a.... Nobody had told me anything about this. What makes you suggest the idea?" Giles was shocked, dismayed and concerned.  
  
"Xander and Cordelia. They were having an... encounter. Seems that Xander was going on about how could Willow be dating a vampire, and Cordelia yelled at him about it. I was hoping you could fill me in on that." Angel was clearly puzzled.  
  
"There was something said about Willow not spending her time with the others, quite sensible considering the incident at the factory. Buffy was speculating about some rumors that Willow has a boyfriend, and if that is the case, she has not introduced him to her friends. That is the extent on my knowledge of the matter." Giles didn't like being left out of the information loop.  
  
"There are some differences between bloodlines, if the bloodline goes back far enough. Let me help you look through some of these. I've heard rumors that some of the old vampires in the Carpathians can shape change." Angel was worried. If there were new vampires in Sunnydale, it could have dire implications.  
  
end part 4.  
  
Xander was determined to find the vampire that was playing with his Willow. She had been his friend forever, and even if it seemed she wasn't talking to him because of the factory, he didn't want her the pawn in some evil vampire's plot for something terrible. After all of this was over, he was certain that Wills would thank him.  
  
He began searching the warehouse areas, considering that since they had seen the vampire here before he would probably return. He had his cross, and a stake, so he wasn't too worried. What could this vampire do to him anyhow?  
  
He turned a corner, and there he was. The vampire was sitting on an empty shipping crate, a watchful look on his face. His dark clothing made him blend with the shadows, his face and pale hair showing as a sharp contrast.  
  
"You're the monster playing games with Willow's heart! I've had just about enough of this, and I'm not going to take it anymore. You can't play with Wills like that!" Xander was angry.  
  
David looked at the mortal. This had to be Xander, the one that had ignored Willow for years before she got involved with the musician. He had kissed Willow behind the backs of the others they were dating, and had effectively abandoned her after their kiss while trapped in a factory had caused Xander's girlfriend to fall and impale herself. Now, he was accusing David of toying with Willow's heart. The sheer audacity and arrogance of it made David angry. He decided to play just a little with this annoying boy.  
  
He might still be weaker than he was used to being, but he could deal with Xander easily enough. "What makes you think I'm playing with Willow? More importantly, what makes you think you even have any say in the matter? Willow's perfectly capable of making up her mind on her own. Since you aren't talking to her anymore after that factory incident which I believe you were actively participating in, what makes you think your opinion counts with anyone involved? I don't care what you think, and why should Willow care?"  
  
David grinned at him, his expression feral and predatory, showing far too many teeth for Xander's peace of mind. "I have plans for the future, and you can't stop them. Willow will be mine, and I'm not going to let her go. Been thinking maybe Red and I can usher in the new millennium together... Spend the next century seeing all the places she's never been but always wanted to see."  
  
Xander glanced down, and there were dozens of writhing things on the ground, drawing closer to him, glistening with slime and with little sharp teeth... He yelped in fright, and jumped up onto a smaller crate, trying to find a way to get out of this situation without being gnawed to death by those things.  
  
"Pitiful. I really don't think you'll be any trouble for me, boy. Just remember, the fact that I'm a monster means I have fewer rules that I have to follow. Nobody expects me to fight fair." With that parting shot, the vampire had vanished into the night.  
  
David was airborne, thinking that things could have been much more unpleasant if the boy or the Slayer had any idea where he was staying. He would definitely have to talk to Willow, and perhaps they could find that Angel and have him call off the Slayer.  
  
Before her former friends decided that they wanted Willow back, and convinced her to leave him. That would not be acceptable, not after he'd convinced Willow to give him a chance, not after he had suffered so much to bring this opportunity for happiness. He hoped they wouldn't try, it would probably upset Willow if he had to kill them.  
  
end part 5.  
  
David was a bit worried about the whole thing, so he went to try to talk to Willow. He started with her house, and made the discovery that she was already peacefully asleep. That ruled out the idea of talking to her about things tonight. He found a piece of paper, and hastily scrawled out a note   
  
Willow -   
  
Ran into Xander.   
  
Had words, need to talk to you about it.   
  
David.   
  
He left the note on the inside of her window.  
  
He got up the next evening having slept terribly. His day had been full of bad dreams. He had dreamed that Willow had decided her happiness wasn't worth her friends disapproval, and she had left him weeping at the ice skating rink. There had been one where the Slayer had found them, and when Willow refused to leave him, she had pierced them both with a single stake while Willow hugged him, causing the two of them to die in each others arms. Another featured Michael and the Froggs tracking him to Sunnydale, and killing him as Willow watched in horror and grief.  
  
He left the hotel a bit early, willing to risk a bit of a sunburn to get to Willow. David wanted very much to reassure himself that she wasn't angry with him that she was still safe. There were enough clouds that he didn't burn with flames, only a painful reddening of his flesh. Willow pulled him into her house, fussing over his burns. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, breathing in her scent as reassurance of her safety.  
  
"I may have caused us another problem." Eventually, David had felt the need to explain why he had risked the sunlight. He brushed his fingers over her cheek, wanting to remember everything about her. "There was someone following me last night. As it turned out, it was Xander. He accused me of being a monster playing with your heart. I got angry, and well... " David shifted a bit, feeling oddly guilty. "I sort of played a little mind game with him. I made him see things that weren't there. Gave him the impression that I planned to turn you into a vampire and tour the world together. Called him a pathetic coward."  
  
Willow paused, thinking over what David had just said. "Xander was following you? He thinks you're.... oh....David. We already talked about the whole vampire thing, but I've always wanted to see Venice. Wait... first, stop calling yourself a monster, it'll just get you all depressed. What did you mean, made him see things that weren't there? How?"  
  
David smirked, feeling superior to the local vampires. "It isn't that hard. Max taught me how. All I need is something.. ha!" He reached over, and picked up a butter knife from the table. Concentrating slightly, he held it up in front of Willow. "Have something, and focus on it, and then, build a picture in your mind."  
  
Willow looked at his outstretched hand and gasped in surprise. Instead of a butter knife, David held a lovely red rose. Then, Willow started to think. If it was because of his will...could her will let her see the reality? She focused, and the rose went a bit translucent, revealing the shape of the butter knife like a shadow inside of it.  
  
"That's way cool. umm Somehow, I don't think you showed Xander roses." Willow smiled at David.  
  
"Willow, sometimes I think you forget that I'm not exactly human. There's reasons why he called me a monster." David placed the knife back on the table and shrugged out of his jacket. He paused a moment before pulling his white tee shirt over his head, revealing his chest. Two marks, the bright purple pink of new healed scars dimpled his chest, about the size of half dollars. "They go all the way through and out the other side. I was impaled on a set of antelope horns, and tossed into the ocean. No human would have survived that, Willow."  
  
David reached out, catching her hand. He looked right into her eyes, his expression intense. "I love you. I will always love you, but I'm not human. I will make people see horrible things to stop bothering you, I would kill to defend you or to get to you when I want to see you. My heart may not beat anymore, but it's yours."  
  
Willow smiled, rubbing her thumb over David's hand. "You don't have to be so afraid. You've managed to seep into my heart. I was afraid to let someone in again, afraid that I'd get hurt but here you are, in my heart. I love you, and it doesn't matter to me if you're human or a vampire."  
  
She moved closer, her other hand lightly brushing over his scars. "Nobody will be able to make me stop loving you. Not Xander, not Buffy. I'd like it if you didn't just go out killing people, but we've had that discussion. Same goes for the whole Willow vampire thing that we talked about. Now, I think you need a bit of rest to let those sunburns heal, so how about we go watch a movie on the couch?"  
  
David could only feel astonished. "Willow, you are a marvel."  
  
end part 6.  
  
  
  
Willow and David had ended up talking more about half vampires, staying up most of the night. They both knew that Willow had decided that it might be good to get a bit older before not aging, but David thought it would be good to give her the information now. He told her about the advantages, not aging, stronger, healing faster than a human, the ability to fly. He mentioned the disadvantages, a shaky reflection, feeling weaker and more tired in the daylight, the increased sensitivity of the eyes, and there would be a craving for blood. He had never been a half vampire himself, but one of his friends, Marco had been. If your will was strong, a half could resist the blood cravings.  
  
David had also given her the names of a few half vampires that he knew about. Some of them lived in the area. He figured that Willow would probably want to investigate the matter some herself, in case he missed a few important points.  
  
The next afternoon, while David was sleeping in her basement, Willow went to the school library. She did leave David a note, so he wouldn't worry too much. She intended to do a little bit of research about half vampires. If there was anywhere in Sunnydale that would have information about half-vampires, Giles was a good bet. Any other books would probably be in the possession of vampires anyhow. She did find a book about different means of vampiric turning, and it mentioned half vampires.  
  
The passage read 'If a mortal drinks of the blood of a vampire, without having first been drained of their blood, it begins a change inside them. The mortal begins to take on characteristics of a vampire. Over the passing of several days, they become stronger, reluctant to enter the sunlight, and begin to crave the blood of the living. Should this unfortunate kill another living soul and drink their blood, the transformation to vampire is complete, and they are lost. Unless this happens, they can be saved by the destruction of the group of vampires that contains the one that has initiated their transformation. If they can manage to resist the blood craving, they can become powerful warriors, and there have been several such individuals that have worked for the Council of Watchers.'  
  
That did give Willow reason to think. David hadn't mentioned the part about becoming a full vampire, or the part about being made human again. However, if there had been half vampires working for the Council, they must not be as violent as the Sunnydale vampires. She was still thinking about that when she heard a floorboard creak slightly, informing her that she was not alone in the library. Glancing up, she saw that Angel was in the library.  
  
"Hi Angel. What's up?" Willow wanted him to support her relationship with David. She would have to talk to him about it for that to happen.  
  
"Willow. I heard the oddest thing, Xander thinks you have a vampire boyfriend." Angel was looking intently at Willow. She seemed to be alive and healthy.  
  
"When did you hear that? How did Xander find out in the first place ... umm." Willow fidgeted with her pencil, before putting it down and looking up at Angel, with her mild Resolve Face firmly in place.  
  
"Yes, I do have a new boyfriend. His name is David, and yes, he is a vampire. He's not from Sunnydale, he isn't quite the same as the local vampires, and no, he hasn't hurt me or tried to." Willow looked Angel in the eye.  
  
Angel sighed. Willow was not going to just walk away from this guy. "Willow, how much do you know about this David? How do you know that you will continue to be safe with him? Is he out killing people? This may sound odd coming from me, but vampires are dangerous."  
  
Willow smiled, pleased that Angel was actually being reasonable about this. "We had a talk about his feeding habits, and he's agreed not to feed on innocent people, although someone trying to mug him is fair game, and he doesn't kill when he feeds. He isn't going to turn me against my will unless I'm dying right on the spot. David has been honest with me about his past. As for how do I know I will stay safe, when you love someone, you trust them."  
  
Since Angel still looked doubtful, she sighed. "Angel, I'm not asking you to say 'What a great idea, dating a vampire'. What I want is for you to have faith that I can live my life, and try to find happiness. I'd really like it if you told Buffy that she shouldn't throw a hissy fit about me and David. It's kind of hypocritical of her to tell someone else that they shouldn't date a vampire."  
  
Angel had to smile at her comment. "I want to meet David before I think you're safe with him. Yes, you have the right to lead your life without needing their approval of your boyfriend, but... I would feel better if I had met him. How else will I know that you'll be safe with him."  
  
Willow beamed at him, making Angel briefly jealous of this other vampire. Willow's smiles were dazzling, like sunshine. "Since it's dark out, we can go see him now. He's at my house."  
  
They walked to the Rosenberg house, Angel brooding the whole trip. The door was opened by David, who simply arched an eyebrow at the taller vampire.  
  
"You must be Angel. Willow wanted us to talk to you."  
  
end part 7.  
  
Xander decided to confront Willow after school. Someone had to explain to her just how bad her boyfriend really was. As the person he had tormented and manipulated, Xander felt he was a good person to explain to Willow all the reasons that she shouldn't date a vampire. He spotted her headed towards the door, wearing close fitting jeans and a tee shirt that actually exposed a hint of her stomach. She never dressed like that before.  
  
"Hey! Wills, I need to talk to you about that Social. Can I get a few moments in the library?" Xander called, trying to get Willow's attention.  
  
She frowned a bit, and headed towards the library. She was sitting on the table, her feet kicking slowly up and down, looking unreadable when Xander arrived a moment later. Xander walked towards her, shutting the door behind him. This would not be a discussion for the general student body. Willow was watching him, her expression closed to him.  
  
That stung. He had been her friend since forever, why was she hiding things from him?  
  
"So, why in god's name are you dating one of the undead, Wills? I thought you were smarter than that! He's an evil, dangerous bloodthirsty vampire and you have no reason to date him. How long were you going to keep it a secret? Or did you plan to feed us to him for dinner? I can't believe you would keep something like this from us!"  
  
"You can't believe I would keep who I'm dating a secret? You, of all people are angry that I didn't announce my date to the world? You were sucking face with Cordelia behind everyone's backs. I only learned about that because I walked in on you! I haven't tried to keep my boyfriend a secret. We've gone places together, in public. I just didn't walk up and say 'Xander, I have a boyfriend, he's a vampire, is that okay?' Do you know why that is?" Willow wasn't shouting. Her expression was fierce, and her voice was quiet, but intense.  
  
"You haven't been speaking to me beyond 'I need your homework' and 'pass the big book of demons' since Cordelia fell at the factory. I remember what happened there, and you were kissing me every bit as much as I was kissing you! Now, you seem to have decided that it's more important to go out with Cordelia than to talk to me. Your girlfriend has been insulting me since kindergarten, and it's been a lot worse lately. Did you ask her to stop? NO! Did you once say, 'gee, Willow, I'm sorry my girlfriend hates you.' again no."  
  
Willow hopped down from the table, pacing across the open area that Buffy used for training. "You never defended me, or offered any sign that you cared if I lived or died. You ignored me, entirely and gave no sign that you didn't share her opinion that I was scum. Why should I tell you anything? Then, when you heard something you didn't like, did you ask me about it? NO! You decided to spy on my boyfriend and try to threaten him. You think that I'm so undesirable that the only reason someone would want to go out with me is to play with my heart. That tells me a lot about how you feel, Alexander Harris."  
  
"How did you know about that?" Xander's voice was a bit weak in reaction to Willow's ranting.  
  
"He told me all about you following him. How you said he could only be toying with me. He talks to me, tells me what's going on. You can't stand the thought of being civil to me around your girlfriend. You act like I'm a complete idiot until you need someone to help with your homework!" Willow was practically growling at Xander.  
  
She paused, looking thoughtful. "You haven't been acting very much like a friend to me, Xander Harris. Until you remember how to be a friend, I have no reason to speak to you at all. One last warning. Stalk my boyfriend again, and I'll tell him he can rip your head off."  
  
As Willow stormed out of the library, Xander felt like something inside of him was breaking into jagged pieces. He hadn't thought about how alone she would be with him ignoring her like he had. Oz had left her, he had turned his back on her, and Buffy wasn't always good at helping others with their problems.  
  
He had never expected her to walk away from him, no matter how much of an idiot he could be at times.  
  
Willow had left him to his own foolishness. She had decided that if he wasn't going to act like her friend, she wouldn't treat him like one. The idea of what life without Willow would be like opened like a huge chasm, drowning his future in misery. She had walked away, leaving it up to him to prove that he could be her friend again.  
  
"What have I done?" Xander's whisper barely carried in the library.  
  
end part 8.  
  
Buffy had known that Xander planned to talk to Willow about her boyfriend. She had decided to give them some private time to talk before he went to the library. She was expecting Willow to be there, probably upset about the news that her boyfriend was a vampire, maybe asking for help dealing with the situation. She wasn't expecting to enter a library that was utterly silent. Xander was sitting on the table, an odd expression on is face. He looked somewhere between brooding and in complete pain.  
  
"Xander? What happened? Did you and Willow, y'know, talk?" Buffy was worried. Xander had never looked so upset before.  
  
"We've lost her. We didn't care enough, didn't show it. She was right, I turned my back on her when she needed me... You probably won't have much luck either." Xander sounded lost. He was just sitting there, staring at his feet.  
  
"Well, if she won't listen to you, maybe she'll listen to me. I think I'll go have a talk with Willow." Buffy sounded confident. She had never failed to rise to the challenge. How much harder could this be than killing demons?  
  
Buffy left the library, determined to find Willow and straighten out this whole mess.  
  
It was another half hour before Giles was finished with the faculty meeting, and entered the library. He found Xander, still sitting on the table, looking as if his world were crumbling beneath him and it was all his fault. It was not a pleasant sight, as Giles had come to feel almost fatherly towards the boy.  
  
"Xander? Would you like to talk? Perhaps a cup of tea?" Giles wasn't certain that Xander would want to talk, but he could think of no other way to learn what was wrong. Besides, if he was forced to answer, he might decide to stop sitting on the table like that.  
  
"It's Willow. She's gone." Xander's voice was barely more than a whisper, and full of pain.  
  
"What! What do you mean Willow's gone? What could have... no, what happened?" Giles was stunned. He had seen Willow at lunch. She had looked rather quiet, but she had seemed to be healthy.  
  
"We ignored her when she needed her friends the most, and now, we've lost her. She said that I hadn't been acting like a friend lately... thing is, she was right. She won't be there for me anymore. We've lost her to her vampire, because when she needed someone, he was the only one there for her." Xander felt numbed by pain. Willow had walked out of his life. How could he have let this happen?  
  
Giles was somewhere between stunned and relieved. Willow was still alive, that was good. The vampire boyfriend was bad, so was walking away from her friends. Then, Giles thought about the past few weeks. Xander hadn't been there for Willow. Oz had broken up with her, and now had a new girlfriend. Buffy was to worried about her own life to have time for Willow's problems. Indeed, she had needed a friend.  
  
"Perhaps you need to remember that a friend isn't just someone that's there for you when you need help. You also need to be there for your friends. You also need to remember that even your friends will live their lives different than you lead yours." Giles sighed, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I fear we have all been somewhat negligent towards Willow. She has been there for all of us, and we have grown used to leaning on her."  
  
Xander looked at Giles, thinking about his words. "Yeah. It's because she's really good at being dependable. Gotta go think now. Thanks G-Man."  
  
Buffy was most unhappy. She had looked at Willow's house, but she hadn't been there. She hadn't been at the school library or the public one. She had looked, and finally decided to get herself a mocha to think over. Willow was sitting in the coffee-shop.  
  
"Hey, Willow. Just the person I was looking for." Buffy smiled as she sat down with Willow. They drank their coffee, and spoke about school. Finished with her drink, Willow got up from the table and started out the door.  
  
Buffy followed her. "Willow, about that new boyfriend of yours. He's trouble. Quite the studly, but trouble. He's.. umm did you know he's a vampire?" Buffy was concerned. How had Willow found herself involved with a vampire?  
  
"I know that. He is gorgeous though. As for his diet, we've had a talk about that." Willow paused, glancing at the nearby people. "I know he's on a high protein diet, and I accept that. We just talked about some of the particulars. Some of the places you can get a protein drink use really bad methods."  
  
"Willow, you can't just ignore something like that! He isn't safe. You have no idea how dangerous this is for you." Buffy had to make Willow understand.  
  
"What, you mean I can't ignore his " again glancing at the people around them, Willow rephrased her arguement for public. "heart condition the way you ignore Angel's? It's pretty much the same thing. As for the risks, I've watched you and your issues, so I think I've got my advance warning. This is my chance to be happy, my chance to have a guy that loves me with all his heart. I'm not going to miss out because you don't like him, or because Xander thinks he's scary."  
  
"It's not the same thing with Angel!" Buffy was defensive now. "How could you compare Angel and..."  
  
"His name is David." Willow's voice was cool, conveying slight irritation. "They both have a lot of things in common. They don't tan, high protein diets, wild pasts. They've also both grown past who they used to be. If you had asked me about my new boyfriend instead of stalking him, I would have told you."  
  
As Buffy stood there, trying to figure out when Willow had developed a taste for vampires, the redhead walked away. Buffy realized that she hadn't been there for Willow, hadn't tried to learn what she was up to until she heard the rumors. She should have asked Willow when she heard the rumors. Actually, if she was as good a friend to Willow as she should have been, she would have known before the rumors were circulating the school. Xander was right. They hadn't been very good friends to Willow lately.  
  
Now, she just had to hope they still had a chance to fix things.  
  
end part 9.  
  
  
  
Giles had decided that he would have to speak to Willow about things. He had heard that she had a vampire boyfriend now, and had turned her back on Xander and Buffy. This sounded most alarming, and he wanted to talk to Willow, make certain that he had accurate information. She would be in during the second period to help him shelve the returned library books, he could talk to her then.  
  
As he had hoped, she did arrive just as she normally did. She began to help him put away the books. Giles thought that she looked a bit sad and stressed. He would have to try to be careful with his questions.  
  
"Hey, Giles? Does the Pizzoli's book of demons go with general demons or water things due to the fact that all the demons in it either live in or near water?" Willow's question interrupted Giles thoughts.  
  
"Water demons, the second shelf." Giles poured two cups of tea, deciding to just simply ask Willow when she came back out. "Ahh, Willow? I've heard some odd things, and I wanted to ask you about them. There was something about you being involved with a vampire?"  
  
Willow looked slightly startled, but resigned as she accepted the cup of tea. "I'm not certain what you heard, or where it came from. I guess you knew that Oz broke up with me after... well, after? Nobody was really talking to me after that, unless it was to insult me, so I was pretty much avoiding everyone. I was out star-gazing one night, and I met David."  
  
She looked up as Giles made a little noise. "I was being careful, mostly. I had a stake and a bottle of holy water with me. We talked, and he said he was new in town, so I offered to show him around some. He's actually a lot nicer than he looks, and we started to spend more time together. I found out about him being a vampire when I was walking in the park and saw him being attacked by two minions."  
  
Willow smiled in remembrance. "He found me later, and we had a talk about how long he'd been a vampire, and did he really care, which I knew some vampires did on account of reading in the watcher's diaries that I'm not supposed to be reading, and umm, point was, we talked, and he really liked me, and I really liked him, so we wanted to get to know more about each other. He's promised not to go killing people unless they're trying to kill him or me first, and he's been sticking to that."  
  
"Are you certain? Not that I'm trying to argue, but are you certain that he is?" Giles wanted Willow to be safe. He had been trained for years not to trust vampires.  
  
"Yes, I'm certain. He didn't even kill Xander when Xander tried to chase him off." Willow looked at Giles, her expression pleading with him to understand. "He loves me Giles. I want to be happy, and if that means David, then so be it. We had several talks about the important things, like him not killing anymore, and not turning me into a vampire unless I agree or am dying right that minute. I wanted someone that could love me."  
  
Giles sighed, pondering her words. "I suppose that you know I don't particularly approve of the idea of you dating a vampire. However, it is your choice, and as long as you are happy and safe, it's not my place to pass judgment on who or what you choose to see. I'm certain that you've heard the speech I keep giving Buffy about the dangers of being involved with a vampire, so I'll save us both the time of going through it again."  
  
He looked at Willow, his expression suddenly serious. "If you wish to date this vampire, that is your choice. As long as you are safe and happy, I will not interfere. If he hurts you, I will hunt him down and make him beg for death."  
  
Willow blinked a bit before suddenly smiling. "Giles, you've just given me the father talk. The one that goes 'no man is good enough for my baby girl, and if he hurts you, I'll kill him'. You really do try to watch out for me." She watched as Giles blushed profusely, and studied his tea.  
  
"I did borrow one of your books." Willow grabbed her backpack and pulled out a thick book bound in dark reddish brown leather. "It's about vampire history and different bloodlines. I wanted to look up his family and see if there were any big surprises that I should know about. It says that that particular bloodline has interesting abilities - he can fly, and that they tend to remain more like their human selves than other bloodlines. They have a high percentage of members that maintain lives amidst mortal society. Giles, do people really still say amidst and amongst in normal conversations? Anyhow, point is, not so scary, normal lives, not a bad guy."  
  
"Well, I am glad to see that you are still being careful about this. Please, be careful and stay safe. That's all I ask." Giles gave his final verdict on the matter.  
  
Willow was feeling a bit better as she left school that day. Giles didn't hate her. Buffy and Xander wanted her to run her life according to them, which was driving her crazy. She really needed a break from it all. Maybe David would have somewhere in mind, they could have a weekend get-away.  
  
end part 10.  
  
Willow had wanted a vacation from Sunnydale. She wanted to go somewhere that nobody would recognize her, somewhere that she and David could have fun and relax without having to worry about demons and slayers. He had grinned at her and asked how she felt about amusement parks. Willow had smiled, and asked if that meant he had an idea in mind. She had packed a bag for the weekend, and they were on their way to Santa Carla.  
  
Willow was looking forward to seeing David's home. He had told her that he had always lived here, both when he as mortal, and after Max had turned him. It had been his home through the good and the bad. Willow hoped it wouldn't bring to many unpleasant memories of his fallen family to mind. This was supposed to be a weekend of fun, not a weekend of trading her frustrations for his painful memories. She had asked him about it, and he had said that as long as he had her with him, the weekend would be great. They could watch the ocean crash into the cliffs.  
  
They were here, finally. They had even found a hotel room, and got their things settled. He did assure her that there weren't the same levels of vampire population that Sunnydale had. David had decided to take her to the amusement park. He planned to take her on the roller coasters so that she would hold on to him, and he could feed her cotton candy so that he could kiss the sticky wisps off her face.  
  
They were on the carousel, with David standing beside Willow, teasing her about being a lady in need of a knight in armor. She was laughing, this was more fun than she had had in a long time. Being here with David was more fun than she had expected an amusement park to be. His eyes were finally loosing some of the shadows of pain that he had carried, and Willow was remembering how to let herself have fun. Neither of them noticed the man with the dark hair and the earring watching them with an expression of horrified recognition.  
  
Eventually, the park closed, and everyone had to leave. Willow and David were still talking about the closing fireworks as they walked towards the cliffs. David was remembering his brothers, Paul and Marco and Dwayne, wondering what they would think of Willow. Would they have liked her? Would they have understood how special she was, the way she lit up a room with her smile? He thought that Dwayne would have liked her depths, the way she could just grasp the meaning of something so easily, and her many layers and facets. Marco would have thought she was the sweetest, nicest person they had ever met. As for Max, he would have been delighted.  
  
"I think my family would have liked you, Willow. Max always did say that I should find a nice girl and settle down." David's voice was full of wistful remembrance. He was hoping that he and Willow could have a long future ahead of them.  
  
"You know, as long as you remember them, keep their memory alive in your heart, your friends are never really gone. That's how I keep the memory of my friend Jesse. Just because someone isn't here with us anymore doesn't mean that we can't remember them. Those we love don't really leave us as long as we keep the memories of them in our hearts. That's something I've had to learn, living in Sunnydale." Willow looked at David, her eyes full of love and compassion. "Feel free to talk to me about your family. They are a part of what made you who you are today."  
  
"Willow, you are one of a kind. I'm a lucky guy to have found you." David smiled at her, enjoying the way she blushed at the least compliment. Maybe the people of Sunnydale hadn't appreciated her, but he would.  
  
Willow fidgeted with her hair, blushing at his compliment. "I think I'm the lucky one. After all, I have you. You're smart, and thoughtful, and you say the sweetest things, and you're gorgeous, and you think I'm pretty, and I've never had anyone else want to spend very much time with me, let alone centuries." They sat on the edge of the cliffs, watching the waves come in, holding hands.  
  
The next night, David took Willow to the cave that he and the others had stayed in, thinking that she'd find the collapsed hotel interesting. She had giggled a bit, and asked if there was a vampire handbook suggesting that vampires in California should find sunken buildings. That had lead to an explanation of the Master, and David had seen her point. Laughing, he just blamed the trend on all the fault lines in California, and asked what the vampires in Florida were supposed to do. As he had expected, Willow had found that funny, and asked if he thought they might ever try to bury themselves in that sand. They had both laughed about that mental image.  
  
David had collected a few of his things from one of the rooms, some clothes, a few books. He also found a dark green glass bottle sitting near a bonfire ring, and had carefully packed that to go with them when they left.  
  
end part 11.  
  
In Sunnydale, Buffy was nearly panicking. Willow was gone. She couldn't find her anywhere, and neither could Xander. They had searched the town, eventually concluding that she was nowhere to be found. There was no sign of her vampire boyfriend either, which made them both even more concerned. Angel had found the two of them sitting in the playground of one of the parks, looking incredibly sad and worried.  
  
"What's wrong? I thought I was the one who was supposed to brood and look tortured?" Angel had no idea what could have them so upset. Xander didn't even rise to the opportunity to insult him.  
  
"Willow's gone. We've looked all over Sunnydale, and called her house, but she's just not here. She's nowhere to be found in Sunnydale. I need to find her so I can grovel."  
  
Xander's answer did clear up a few things for Angel. He was starting to get a suspicion. "You both tried to tell her that she shouldn't date a vampire, and you didn't approve, and what was she thinking, didn't you?"  
  
They both looked surprised and guilty, confirming Angel's guess about what had happened. He sighed, and took a seat. He figured it might take a bit to explain why Willow was probably avoiding them.  
  
"Xander, did you tell Willow that you were dating Cordelia, or did she find out on her own? Was Cordelia Willow's idea of the sort of person that you should date?" Angel decided to start with Xander, it would be easier.  
  
"Umm, no. I didn't really tell anyone, and Wills kinda walked in on us. Cordelia wasn't in my expectations, let alone Willow's, and I definitely remember that Willow wasn't exactly happy with me." Xander was feeling guilty now.  
  
"Did she tell you that you couldn't date Cordelia, or whatever it is you do, because she didn't approve? Did she say, Xander, how could you? Don't you know that Cordelia is bad? I will bet that she didn't. You haven't been talking to her since the factory incident, and it would definitely make her feel left out when of the small circle of people that she used to have, her friend since kindergarten has deserted her for her enemy, her boyfriend has broke up with her, and her only other friend is busy with slaying."  
  
Angel decided to give Xander a bit of time to digest that. "Buffy, how well did you think it would work to tell someone not to date a vampire when you are doing the same thing? I was worried when I heard Xander and Cordelia arguing about Willow's boyfriend, so I asked her about it. His name is David, and he seems to be an okay guy. He won't hurt Willow, and I think he really cares."  
  
"Willow hasn't seen the two of you showing signs of caring what happens to her. That had to hurt, so she's avoiding you. Figure out if your unhappiness at her dating a vampire is worth loosing her friendship." Angel left them sitting there, feeling a bit odd about having to explain the matter to them.  
  
Meanwhile, Willow and David were packing everything up for the trip back to Sunnydale. David seemed a bit more at peace with himself now that he'd had a chance to lay his memories at rest, to deal with his feelings about what had happened. He did seem to be worried about something though.  
  
"David? What's bothering you" Willow figured the only way to find out would be to ask.  
  
After a few minutes of fussing with the luggage, David gave in and told her. "Thinking about your friends in Sunnydale."  
  
Willow kissed him, making sure she had his attention. Looking into his eyes, she spoke to him. "David, I love you. No matter how much they may not like it, that won't change. They aren't going to make me stop seeing you. If they are really my friends, they will adjust to the idea, and deal with it. If not, we can go see the world after I graduate. Either way, you are my future."  
  
end part 12.  
  
Willow and David returned to Sunnydale, both feeling much better after their weekend away. They knew that there would still be some difficulties ahead, but they could overcome them together. David had finally come to terms with his memories, letting some of the pain and grief of their loss fade. Willow was still nervous about what her friends would think, but knew that she could cope without them. Angel and Giles had agreed to let her live her life, not trying to convince her to leave David.  
  
They had decided that it was worth all the challenges and trials to share their love, and to have each other. They had found in each other a balance, each offering the other something that helped them, strengthening and supporting each other. Together, they were more balanced, and stronger than they were apart. David helped Willow to be more confidant, to have faith in herself and her abilities, while she had helped him to become more compassionate, less violent.  
  
Willow was less than attentive at school Monday. Fortunately, as it was nearly the end of the year, she didn't have to much to worry about with her classes. She was a bit concerned when Buffy asked to have a word with her in the library after school. What did she want? Could it be that she had decided not to try to run Willow's life? The only way to find out would be to go talk with her, and probably Xander.  
  
Willow entered the library, uncertain what to expect. "Hello?"  
  
Buffy and Xander were waiting in the library, looking tense and worried about something. Xander looked up from his search of the doughnut box, smiling hopefully when he saw Willow. He moved towards her, and seized her hand, leaving faint traces of powdered sugar on her fingers.  
  
"Willow, I am so incredibly sorry that I haven't been a good friend to you lately. I should have told you about me and Cordelia from the beginning, you shouldn't have had to find out by seeing it. I was an idiot not to talk to you about my life, and an even bigger idiot to try to blame everything on you. We abandoned you and tried to blame you for everything, and it was as much or more my fault than yours, and I'm really, really sorry." Here Xander paused, mainly to try to catch his breath. He had just made a run on near babble statement, like Willow usually made.  
  
"You were right, we, I shouldn't have spied on your boyfriend to find out what was going on, I should have talked to you, been there for you, and it was wrong and bad and untrusting of me. Did I mention that I'm sorry? I don't have the right to tell you that you can't date someone, but I was really, really worried that you'd get hurt, and I didn't know what I'd do if you were hurt. I'm groveling in abject misery here, trying to apologize for being a lame friend." Xander was looking at Willow with his best, most desperate Sad Puppy Look, hoping that she could forgive him.  
  
Buffy took advantage of Xander's quiet to voice her own apology. "I guess I don't really have any room to tell you not to see a vampire, and you aren't answerable to me about who you date as long as he makes you happy and isn't killing people. I'm very sorry for being a bad friend, and I guess I shouldn't try to stake your boyfriend. Can you forgive us?"  
  
Willow smiled through eyes gone misty with tears, trying unsuccessfully to keep them in her eyes. She failed, and a single tear trickled down her cheek. "You guys are my friends, practically my family. I can forgive you. Just, don't ignore me like that, please. Not staking my boyfriend is definitely a good friendly thing to do, Buffy. I know you aren't happy that I'm seeing David, but I love him. He makes me happy. I want you to know that he has a place in my heart and my future, and you have to be able to deal with that."  
  
Xander hugged Willow, feeling almost dizzy with relief that she was willing to forgive him. He had his friend back, and she would give him another chance. All he had to do was get used to her having her very own deadboy, err let her have her own unexpected other, like he had Cordelia. It was worth it, he just hoped that now that Willow had forgiven him, her boyfriend wouldn't pull anymore freaky mind tricks on him.  
  
Giles watched as the teens he had come to think of as his family hugged and smiled. They had managed to talk about things, and it seemed that their friendship had survived this latest development. He was glad that their family, odd as it might be, was whole again.  
  
  
  
end part 13.  
  
end Family Rebuilt. 


	3. Family Imperiled: Return of the Froggs

﻿Author: Lucinda  
Rating: PG 13  
Pairing: Willow/David (from Lost Boys)  
Follows Family Rebuilt  
Disclaimer: I do not own anyone from BtVS or Lost Boys. No profit is being made.  
Distribution: Bite Me, NHA, WWW, anyone else that I said could have Lost Family & Family Rebuilt can have this one as well.  
  
  
Michael felt conflicting emotions well up inside of him. He had seen David, or at least someone that had looked like David on the boardwalk. The man that he thought was David had been laughing and spending time with a pretty redhead. They had looked almost cute together. But David was dead. He had impaled him on antelope horns and tossed the body into the sea, so David had to be dead. He wondered if he was seeing David's face as an indication of a guilty conscience.  
  
David had been a vampire, might still be if the blonde man had really been him. He'd tried to make Michael into a vampire as well, to have him join his 'family' of runaways and outcasts, all of which had sported fangs. He had been a killer, had shown enjoyment of feasting on the blood of humans. On the one hand, David had tried to include him, to give him a place to belong. On the other, he would have been a killer. But he would never have met Starr if not for meeting David. He wouldn't have found his wonderful girlfriend.  
  
Overall, Michael decided that things would be simpler if it was just guilt, if David was still dead, his remains sunken at the bottom of the ocean, or battered against the cliffs. The image made him wince slightly. Simpler might not be better. Maybe he should check the cave, just to be safe, to be absolutely certain one way or the other. Yes, he would check the cave. Tomorrow, during the day, just in case David really was there. Best if he could go in and out again without any confrontations. Especially since he had such mixed feelings over the whole matter.  
  
He wouldn't have wanted to be a killer. He'd felt the bloodlust, and he wasn't certain if he could have resisted for very long. That would have been horrible, as the whole sunlight thing would have been another problem. But... David's life had been so free. No one telling him what he could or couldn't do, no pointless hassles about school. David had tried to share that with him, and honestly, the flying had been terrifying and intense and wonderful all at the same time. To fly would have easily been worth no more sunlight, but not worth becoming a killer. Under different circumstances, David could have become a good friend.  
  
He didn't tell his family what was bothering him. Sam would have had a fit, and accuse him of going all vampire-ish again. His mother was trying to repress the whole thing, to pretend that there were no such things as vampires, that Michael had only had an encounter with some sort of local biker gang or something. As for his grandfather... it could be very frustrating to try to figure his grandpa out. Either he would have something entirely unpredictable to say, or be entirely not surprised. No, he really couldn't talk to his family about it. Starr was out because she had been with David and his boys for a while, Michael wasn't quite certain how long. She was terrified that something would drag her back into that life. Sam's friends the Frogg brothers were definitely not the people to talk about for a subtle concern. Their understanding of subtle was roughly equal to that of a chainsaw.  
  
It was a very cautious Michael that crept into the cave the next afternoon. He had tossed and turned all night, sleeping poorly, and plagued by unsettling dreams. Dreams where David was there, the girl dead along a wall, dreams of a whole new pack of lost boys, dreams of David dragging him into the family, of becoming a killer. Dreams of becoming a vampire, of killing people, and enjoying it. There were also dreams of going into the cave, finding nothing more than dust over scattered memories, nothing more sinister than his own tormented remembrances. He was equipped with a flashlight, and a small crossbow with wooden quarrels, just in case there happened to be a vampire.  
  
He gathered his nerve, and descended down the wooden steps into the sunken hotel, gasping in surprise as one of the steps gave way with a groan, sending his foot through and causing him to flail wildly for balance, swearing intensely under his breath. The air from the cave smelled of the ocean, and damp stone, and some other scent that he couldn't describe. If he were to think about it, the closest that he could describe it would be the scent of despair. He turned on the flashlight, and continued very carefully down the steps, testing each one to see if it would hold his weight. There were cobwebs forming along the railing, and the glimmered with a faint layer of dust and sand, the sand blown in from the occasional wind gust, and left to sift down like a trickling waterfall, softening the sharp corners of the entrance.  
  
Shining his flashlight around the main cavern, he could feel the empty space, expanding over him, engulfing him. The cavern throbbed with the muffled pounding of the waves. He could feel the darkness, almost as if a thousand invisible fingers were touching him, dragging over his skin, ruffling his hair. He jumped again as the narrow beam of light illuminated the gaunt features of Jim Morrison, the poster still forlornly placed on the wall, like an abandoned alter to a fallen idol. The firepit was dark and cold in the center of the floor, the fallen cushions around it in disarray. Something seemed not quite right about the image. Slowly, he swung the beam of light over again, and walked over towards the firepit, a suspicion of something growing in his stomach. Something wasn't the way it should have been. There was something important that was different... what was it?  
  
He closed his eyes, trying to remember when he had sat here, laughing with the others. Marco had brought out an old green bottle of what he had assumed to be wine... where was the bottle? Almost panicked, David searched around the pit, overturning cushions and chunks of wood. The bottle had been filled with blood; it had changed him, nearly made him into a vampire. Where was the bottle? He finally found the small hollow in the wall where it had sat. There was a dip worn into the stone, and for a moment, Michael wondered if it had been that horrible bottle that had caused the dip, or if it had been there and simply used for convenience. But the bottle was gone.  
  
Fear and suspicion flooded through Michael, and he could feel his pulse hammering in his throat, and the sour taste of fear filled his mouth. It had been David last night. Somehow, the vampire had survived. But he'd been impaled... wait. David had been impaled, but it had been on horns, not something made out of wood. Did antelope horns kill vampires? It seemed the answer was no. What could he do? Who could stop David from taking some sort of bloody horrible revenge on everyone that had been involved? On Starr, and Sam, his Mom... he couldn't let his family get hurt. He could only think of one possible place to go for aid, and it made his stomach churn almost as bad as the idea of David still lurking in the darkness did. Shuddering slightly, Michael left the cave. He had to pay a visit to the Frogg Brothers.  
  
End part 1.  
Michael entered the Frogg's comic shop, feeling decidedly out of place. He had never been an avid collector of comics, although there had been a few he'd followed when he was younger. Sam more than made up for his disinterest though. To his slight dismay, Sam was there, looking over the new Superman comic, muttering about some of the things. He looked around, and saw the taller Frogg, Ethan, watching him. They didn't quite trust him, considering him 'compromised on the vampire problem'. But who else could he turn to with this? He walked over, deliberately approaching the camouflaged aspiring vampire hunter.  
  
"There's a problem. A big one. I saw David on the boardwalk last night." Michael kept his voice low, hoping that anyone who saw him in here would think he was talking about something comic related instead of about vampires.  
  
"David? Wasn't he the blond evil dead? Didn't he die?" Ethan looked worried, and it was debatable if he was more inclined to think Michael was going crazy or if he believed him.  
  
"We certainly thought so. But I swear I saw him. I checked out the cave today, the one where he used to be. The bottle was gone."  
  
"Bottle? What in the world does some bottle have to do with anything?" Ethan looked at Michael, his eyes showing white around the edges. His voice was higher, and sounded a bit strained.  
  
"It was... it had a very special drink in it. An.. old family recipe I guess you'd say. They all thought it was very important, and it used to be there after the fight. It's gone. The only way would be if someone took it." Michael was letting his concern show.  
  
Sam walked over, his expression one of calm. "Hey, bro. What brings you in here? Finally decided to develop some taste for the classics? Superman, Batman... you look awful serious. Mom going on about your grades again?"  
  
Michael sighed, wishing that he didn't have to tell Sam. "I saw David on the boardwalk last night. He was walking with some red haired girl. I went to check out the old hotel this afternoon, just got back actually. Some of his things were gone... the bottle was gone. The one that wasn't wine."  
  
The color drained from Sam's face, making his colorful clothing look almost impossibly garish. "But... isn't he... didn't we... umm, Mike? Are you feeling... normal? No floating away things, normal reflection and all? Still feeling human?"  
  
Michael felt his skin twitch at the mere suggestion. He closed his eyes, mentally counting to ten before answering. "Just.. worried. I haven't noticed anything... different. Nothing like what happened before. But I'm worried. What if he wants revenge? We killed his family. We tried to kill him. How do we keep him from returning the favor?"  
  
Edgar had come over, his expression grim as they tried to figure out where the vampire could be. "Well, if we can't find him in town, maybe he went out of town to lay low for a bit? Rebuild his strength, plan his attack? We most definitely kicked his ass before."  
  
Sam looked at his two friends. "So, if he isn't here in Santa Carla, where could he be? How could we find somewhere that a vampire would be hiding?"  
  
Ethan gave a small chuckle. "Simple my friend. We use the computer. We just look for somewhere that has a high mortality rate, and a large percent of unusual or unexplained deaths, and there you are. Vampire's haven. Go in, find the vamps, exterminate them. I got a decent search program on the one in the basement. I can start a search right now."  
  
The program was duly started, and by dark, they had results. Of the towns within a few hours radius of Santa Carla, they had a per capita death rate, a cemetery count, and a listing of 'unusual' deaths from the past month. One place stood out. Sunnydale. And it was only a few hours away from Santa Carla.  
  
End part 2.  
  
The Frogg brothers had concluded that Sunnydale had far too high a bodycount for just one vampire. That meant that they wanted some time to prepare themselves. After all, it's safest not to go walking into 'a haven for bloodsucking fiends' entirely unprepared. They were discussing weaponry, and stocking up on holy water, with more discretion this time. There was also the problem of their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Frogg were apparently unaware of the existence of vampires, and would have to be persuaded into allowing the boys to go on this trip out of town. It was starting to look like permission and transportation to go to Sunnydale would be a bigger problem than anything else.  
  
Sam was fretting about hordes of undead swarming after him and their mom. He had started drinking holy water, and was carrying some around in his backpack, just in case he ran into a vampire. He'd also pulled out those vampire comics that the Frogg brothers had given him, in hopes that he could find any more information to try to use for protection. Sam had come to the conclusion that vampires were seriously scary.  
  
Starr and Lenny had figured out that something was up. Sam's renewed worry about vampires had been almost impossible to miss. Starr finally decided to ask Michael, hoping that her boyfriend would be honest with her, and explain exactly what was going on.  
  
"Michael? What's going on? Your brother is giving me those suspicious looks again. And did I walk past a bag of wooden stakes?" Her voice was worried.  
  
Michael sighed, knowing that she would worry if he told her everything. But what choice did he have? If they failed, surely David would be after her as well? "David isn't dead. At least, not any more than he was last year. I saw him on the boardwalk. Doesn't look like he's still staying in the old hotel anymore. The Frogg brothers think he went to this little town a few hours north, it's called Sunnydale. They want to go find him and kill him."  
  
Starr froze, her eyes going wide. "Sunnydale? Did you say... Sunnydale?"  
  
"Yeah. What's the big deal about Sunnydale? It's pretty small, no major resorts, no parks, no big attractions. You've heard of it?" Michael was looking at Starr, puzzled by her reaction.  
  
"It was something that was mentioned once. There's some big powerful thing there, a point of strong mystical energy. David wasn't particularly interested in a lot of the mystical side of being a vampire, so he didn't listen a lot to that stuff, or talk about many of the details, but I remember that part. This mystical thing, it was called La Boca del... something or other. It was a Spanish name, but I can't really remember it. Michael, it makes vampires stronger. He said it would do the same to any other night creature as well. Things like werewolves, and demons as well as vampires."  
  
"Stronger? How would it make them stronger?" Michael was worried. Sunnydale had sounded like a logical choice just based on the death rate, and the high number of them that had died of either strange and horrible things or from 'neck ruptures and exsanguination'. Now Starr was mentioning this mystical whats-it, and he had the feeling that things had just gotten worse.  
  
Wrapping her sparkly shawl around her shoulders, Starr rubbed her arms, feeling chilled by the memories of her time with David and his Lost Boys. Like Peter Pan with fangs... "I'm not sure. I know it was supposed to help speed up healing, but beyond that I don't know."  
  
Michael sighed. "Wonderful. A mystical get-well card for him. Even worse, it's starting to look like I'm going to be drafted as the designated driver for all this mess."  
  
End part 3.  
* * Meanwhile, over the Hell-Mouth (La Boca del Inferno in Spanish) * *  
Angel and David had been talking a lot. Angel considered Willow to be his friend, one of a very short list of people that he had ever been able to call friends. She had restored his soul, and had given him her trust, even after his 'brief visit to the Dark Side of the Force' as she had described it. It had started that he simply wanted to be certain that David was good enough for Willow, and that he really cared for her and wanted to make her happy. They had ended up talking about clan differences, and their comparative vampire upbringings. They discussed some of the differing abilities of their bloodlines, and worked on fighting techniques. Angel had come to believe that David genuinely cared for Willow, and truly wanted her to be happy. He had already known that Willow cared for David.  
  
The two vampires were actually becoming friends. It helped that they both felt that Willow was absolutely wonderful. Angel had introduced David to Willie's, telling him that he could actually purchase blood there. While they both knew that it wouldn't taste quite as good, it would cause no suspicion from the populace, and had the advantage of being easily storable for a quick bite. David had laughed, and decided that he would simply have to try to work on Angel's diet. Vampires should not live on bags and leftovers from the slaughterhouse alone. Besides, the taste of animal blood was just... nasty.  
  
Willow and David were becoming much closer as a couple as well. They would go for moonlight walks, and talk about everything and nothing. Plans for places that Willow would like to see were mentioned, and she learned that David had been a not-quite secret fan of the Beatles, and wanted to see Liverpool some day. He had also mentioned wanting to visit Berlin, and to see the Eiffel Tower. Willow had a very long list of places that she would like to see.  
  
Buffy had come to the conclusion that she didn't like David, and probably never would. She had then agreed to try to at least be sort of polite to him and not try to stake him as long as he made Willow happy and wasn't killing people. Cordelia had stopped picking on Willow, although that may have been out of concern that David would have her for dinner some night. She had made the comment that at least he had gotten Willow out of the softer side of Sears clothing. That had promptly started a big debate over exactly what he might or might not have gotten Willow out of that had rendered Willow absolutely crimson. If her friends were going to speculate about her love life, she would rather not hear all the sordid could be details. Although a few of the things had sounded a bit interesting to try...  
  
Finally, Willow and David had slipped away. David had looked a bit amused by the whole thing. Especially the way that Giles had stuttered a bit over his suggestion that if they were to 'indulge themselves in .. ah... intimate activities, he would suggest caution and please PLEASE be discrete.' He had then leaned over and whispered that the watcher had a few books about certain vampire habits that the Slayer wouldn't have expected, and Willow had blushed as the implications had sunk in.  
  
"You mean that Giles has books about vampires and... sex? Giles?" Willow had looked somewhere between shocked and appalled. "Do you think he actually reads them... no, I do not want to think about Giles and vampire sex or any sex. He's like a father to me. No thinking about Giles and sex... no no."  
  
David had just chuckled, and gave a playful little growl, pulling her close and nibbling over the side of her neck, following the line of her pulse up almost to her ear, and then back down to her shoulder, leaving little pink marks along her throat. Willow had made little soft noises and melted against him, all thoughts of anything else completely banished from her mind. Most thought was banished actually, and she was simply focusing on David, and the feeling of his arms around her, and his teeth playing over her throat. She made this little contented noise, almost a hum, and relaxed against him, trusting him entirely. Finally, David stopped playing with her neck, feeling the temptation to sink his teeth in and make her his for all eternity well up inside of him. Willow wasn't ready for that yet. So it would be best to wait. David wasn't particularly good at waiting, so he kissed her, tasting her lips and the coffee that she'd been drinking.  
  
"Hmmm smoochies and nibbles. It's good to have a great guy. Can we go now?" Willow's voice had been low, and her eyes had been dark with emotions. Her hand had crept up the back of his neck, and she was running her fingers through his short hair, almost as if she were petting him.  
  
"I think we can do that. Besides, you know kissing too much out along the street is just begging to get interrupted. I'd rather have you all to myself. C'mon, I'll walk you home." David had been smiling, his eyes still golden as he contemplated the wonderful sight of his Willow.  
  
End part 4.  
They had spent time snuggled up on the couch, hands touching each other slightly as they watched a movie. Movie watching had become an interesting art for Willow. Most of the so-called chick-flicks made her feel awkward, and had made her feel lonely, so they were out. Most horror movies either hit to close to home or just seemed laughable now that she really knew was out there. They had settled on Braveheart, and had settled back to watch, or at least pretend to watch. It was actually an enjoyable movie, and they enjoyed it a great deal, although the idea of mooning a line of archers had caused a bit of giggling from Willow, and a few sarcastic remarks from David. He was a lot more nervous about the idea of being shot with arrows or impaled than he used to be.  
  
Eventually, David had given Willow a parting kiss, and left to go to his new apartment. Once he'd sorted things out with Willow, he'd decided that he wanted to stay here, at least until after she had graduated. A nice little apartment had sounded like a big step up from the motel room. Even better, it was in a decent enough area that he didn't have to worry too much if Willow came to visit. She was as safe there as she was elsewhere, which would have been considerable more comforting in a town that wasn't Sunnydale. He dropped onto a chair, idly flipping through a book detailing some of the more common demons that might be encountered on the Hellmouth, and contemplated how much things had changed for him.  
  
The family that he'd known before had perished. He had nearly died as well, and for a while, all that had sustained him had been the idea of gaining his revenge on the ones that had been responsible. But things had started to change the night that he'd first seen Willow. Gradually, his focus had shifted, until he wanted to have a long and happy existence with Willow. The ones responsible for things in Santa Carla were all mortal, time could deal with them far more safely than he could. He had found a new family here. Angel was there to talk about vampire things with, and Willow had his heart. Her friend Xander was trying to get to know him, having concluded that since David was now part of Willow's life, he'd best just learn to deal with it. And then there was Giles. The Watcher seemed to feel the need to become a fatherly or guiding figure to those around him. To his surprise, David found it to be oddly comforting.  
  
He had a new family, and new hope for tomorrow and the night after, for all the nights ahead of him. He had Willow, and her love shone bright as the sun, bringing him light and hope and joy. Life was good. He just hoped that it would last.  
  
David was unaware of the camouflage painted van that arrived at a small motel on the edge of Sunnydale. He didn't see the figures that had spilled out, swearing and complaining about Michael's driving. He didn't know that the Froggs were here, laden with weapons and holy water, eager to hunt down and kill him and any other vampire that crossed their path. Michael checked them in, getting a pair of rooms, one for himself and Sam, the other for the Froggs.  
  
David remained blissfully unaware as the Froggs decided that they needed to do a sweep through the town, to check for vampires and wandering ghouls. He didn't know how they found several minions, shooting them with their crossbows. Nor did he see them find a late riser, struggling to emerge from his grave, and he didn't watch as they knocked the new vampire over, pounding a stake into his heart.  
  
However, their actions were observed. The minion that had seen them kill the late riser had fled to Willies, and spoke of the pair of camouflage wearing young men. He told anyone that would listen how they had killed his sire's newest minion, staking him before he could even finish clawing his way out of his grave. So the rumor began, and it started to spread.  
  
Sunnydale had some new hunters, and it seemed their chosen prey was vampires. This was a definite bit of news, and it was not received happily. Wasn't it bad enough that there was a Slayer here? That there were regular arrivals of demons that viewed vampires as prey the same as the mortals that they had once been? What need was there for camouflage wearing men to hunt them as well?  
  
End part 5.  
Having arrived in Sunnydale, the Froggs had discovered that the town was crawling with the undead. They had encountered more vampires in one night than they had during the whole encounter with David and his pack in Santa Carla. The only things that seemed a reassurance to them were two simple things: the vampires here hadn't flown, and they hadn't seemed very smart. They hadn't used any particular tactics, and hadn't shown very much subtlety in their hunting.  
  
"Maybe this won't be quite as hard as we thought. Think this mystical thing might make them dumber?" Edgar was smiling over the dust of the new risen vampire. He was feeling confident. They had killed almost half a dozen vampires that night with their crossbows, and then found this one, staking him as he tried to leave his grave. Sometimes a good background could be useful. Amazing what you could learn from comics.  
  
Neither of the Frogg brothers had noticed the various minions that had escaped them. They didn't know that whispers of their presence were even now spreading through the underworld of Sunnydale. Nor had their comic book and horror movie vampire education truly prepared them for either the Hellmouth or the multitudes of things that dwelled near it. They went back to the hotel, unaware of the many territorial claims that they had disturbed, the many vampires they had offended, or the Slayer who patrolled the Hellmouth. Their 'plan' was to find David, kill him and whatever vampires he might have helping him, and go home. Simple plan, but it was proving more difficult to put into action then they had thought. They had found dozens of places already that could house vampires, and it was obvious that Sunnydale had a large population of vampires. Finding one particular vampire in that horde...  
  
By dawn, word had hit Willie's and three separate vampire leaders. By the time the sun went down the next night, rumors had spread from the vampires to some of the other non-humans. A pair of human men in camouflage, killing vampires. There would be some looking for them after dark, hoping to learn who they were, why they were there, and in hopes of killing them to enhance their own reputation. Some of the more brave or foolish would be hunting the hunters, just as they hunted for the Slayer.  
  
David and Angel had made their way to Willie's to pick up more blood, currently debating the merits of various British Football teams, what Americans would call soccer. They entered Willie's, and heard the whispers.  
  
'Pair of humans...' 'young, not quite done growing, but old enough.' 'Killed the new rising, they did.' 'Dressed all in camouflage. Like they thought they were some kind of soldiers, and carrying crossbows. Crossbows, I tell ya!'  
  
David paused, the description sounding familiar. Humans in camouflage... the images flashed through his memory, each with the painful intensity of a fist in the gut. Marco screaming, and two teens in camouflage running from the cave. Those camouflage brats again, trying to stalk his boys, his family through Michael's house. Dwayne, impaled into a stereo system with an arrow, burned to death by the electrical currants. Paul, forced into a tub of holy water, the flesh burned and melted from his bones.  
  
"They must have come from Santa Carla. They think they're some sort of vampire hunters... They have a shop near the boardwalk. Something harmless... tee shirts or comics books or something." David's voice was low, and he was trying unsuccessfully to hide the torment of his memories.  
  
Angel looked at him, his dark eyes serious, showing worry. "Do you think they came after you? Or did they just decide they needed a bigger challenge?"  
  
David gave a small shrug. "I'm not sure. Maybe... Willow and I went to Santa Carla the other weekend. Maybe someone saw us... although there aren't to many that would have known. Just them, or maybe it was Michael."  
  
"We need more information. " Angel waited until they had left Willie's to continue. "Perhaps we should have Willow check for recent arrivals in some of the hotels? What sort would they be staying in?"  
  
David considered the question carefully. "Nowhere terribly expensive. They wouldn't have a lot of money. But they could still be very dangerous."  
End part 6.  
  
It was with some concern that David found Willow. He was a bit reluctant to ask her to look, reluctant to involve her in what was almost certainly his trouble, but he knew that if he wanted to build a future with her, she had to know that he trusted her, that he felt that she could contribute to their relationship.  
  
"Red. It seems that there's trouble in town." He was trying to bury his worry in arrogance.  
  
She looked at him, her eyes a bit brighter than normal. "A pair of guys in camouflage? Buffy heard about them on her patrol already. She called Giles on her cell phone, and he was completely baffled... umm do you know more about them?"  
  
He dropped into a chair, sighing slightly. Explaining what he knew would bring up his past, which was a bit shady, well, more like downright bloody and violent. "Remember I said I tried to bring Michael into my family? The other guys that dragged him back out were his younger brother and a pair of aspiring vampire hunters called the Froggs. Frogg Brothers or something like that. They work at a comic shop on the boardwalk back in Santa Carla. Someone must have recognized me when we visited that weekend."  
  
Willow's face paled slightly, and she went slightly tense. "Frogs? Sunnydale has been invaded by bloodthirsty killer frogs? I hate frogs! They scare me... oh, wait, if these are the guys in camouflage, they aren't quite real frogs, but... eeehhh." Willow shuddered.  
  
David blinked a moment. Willow was afraid of frogs? "You'll face vampires and demons with no second thoughts, but you're afraid of a little amphibian?"  
  
She looked at him, blushing. "Yes. I have been since I was a small child. Frogs... they're just all slimy and they make these rapid jumps, and really big noises... and have you seen those tongues?" Willow shivered again, thinking over the many evil and dreadful features of frogs.  
  
David pulled Willow into his lap, holding her close in an effort to help calm her. He brushed his fingers through her soft red locks, trying to calm her fear. "These aren't that sort of frog. These are teens in green with crossbows. I thought maybe you could use the computer and try to find out if they had checked into the hotels in the area."  
  
She leaned against him, feeling herself pressed against his muscles. One hand reached out, running over his side, brushing up almost to his ribcage and then down again to his pants, tracing patterns on his skin. "I suppose I could do that. It shouldn't be very hard... but I'd have to move. You're comfortable to lean on."  
  
David laughed, the vibration of it making Willow smile. "I'm supposed to be a scary vampire, not a comfy chair." He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "I can't check it on my own. I'm possibly worse on that thing than Giles is."  
  
She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling with emotions, and gave him a swift kiss. "You'll keep me safe from any evil amphibians we run into?"  
  
"I promise."  
  
"Oh, good. Now I guess maybe I should start looking in the hotel files for recent arrivals." She moved herself from his lap, walking over to the computer. With no further delay, she turned it on and began to search the files for recent check-ins at the smaller hotels inside and near Sunnydale. Her fingers almost danced over the keyboard as she bent things to her will, causing the supposedly confidential files of the hotels to open to her.  
  
"Hmmm David, do you have any idea what Michael's last name was? It would be a lot easier to find him if we have it..." Willow's voice was slightly distracted as she skimmed through the records of yet another small hotel.  
  
David looked over at her, opening his mouth to answer. Then, he frowned, and closed his mouth, looking very thoughtful. "Actually, I don't think I really asked. I think his mom's last name was... Feldman? Fieldman? Something like that."  
  
Willow shook her head, sighing slightly. "You know, that makes things a lot more difficult... and hmm... we might have a match. This is a rather cheap place, not to many questions. It's also near a couple of the more run down churches. Sounds like a possibility to me." Willow did something with the information, and then a paper printed out with the name that had been used to register the room, and the address of the hotel.  
  
"Right. We can let that Slayer check it out. I think I'd rather take you somewhere peaceful and have you all to myself." David slipped his arms around Willow, kissing the side of her neck as he spoke. He could feel her blushing, and smiled to himself.  
  
"Ohhh... right. Alone time with you... much more interesting than checking out cheap hotels with Buffy."  
  
They didn't waste any time dropping off the paper with Buffy. Almost immediately after, David had pulled Willow away with him, as she giggled slightly, and they had rode his motorcycle towards the woods. Tonight was supposed to be fun.  
  
End part 7.  
  
They had ridden David's motorcycle to the edge of the woods, Willow pressing her body close to his, her arms wrapped around him, her smile buried in the back of his jacket. She wasn't entirely certain what David had planned for the evening, beyond a moonlight walk. He enjoyed planning little surprises for her, claiming that her smile made up for any effort required.  
  
He helped her from the motorcycle, and they walked into the woods, her hand resting in his. David had drafted Xander to help out a little, having Willow's friend take a blanket and picnic basket to the clearing so that it would be there to surprise Willow. Inside the basket, there should be some chocolate sauce, and raspberries, as well as some chilled juice. David smiled at the thought of feeding Willow chocolate covered berries, her tongue swirling over his fingers to remove the sweet syrup...  
  
They found the clearing, lit by dozens of vanilla scented candles, and the blanket and picnic basket set in the middle of the clearing. Willow gasped in delighted surprise at the sight, her eyes sparkling. She turned and flung her arms around David, her expression radiant.  
  
"It's wonderful! Oh, this is just so... nobody's ever done anything so sweet for me. This is just... amazing. Thank you."  
  
David hugged her close to him, inhaling the scent of her. "You're welcome, Willow. Nothing's too good for you. Although, I did have a bit of help getting all of this set up."  
  
Willow smiled, having a suspicion who his help might have been. She had never thought that Xander would accept that she had chosen to date a vampire, but if he had been the one to help set all of this up, he was accepting that it was happening, that he couldn't change her mind. It was good that her friend and her boyfriend could get along.  
  
"Well, should we see what's in here? Is it an actual full meal, or just a few little things to nibble?" She was smiling, filled with happiness.  
  
The two of them moved to the blanket, and David opened the basket, presenting her first with something a bit more substantial, a nice turkey sandwich. After Willow had eaten that, he brought out the chocolate sauce and the raspberries, smiling when her eyes went wide and slightly darkened with emotions. He began to feed her the raspberries, enjoying the experience very much.  
  
He almost wished that things could stay just like this forever. That the rest of eternity could pass, just himself and Willow, in a vanilla scented, moonlit clearing, feeding her chocolate raspberries. Although, he could think of a few other things that they might try, here in the clearing. Chocolate smeared kisses, fingers brushing over each other, tantalizing touches and caresses over skin... How had he ever managed before he found Willow?  
* * * *  
  
They were blissfully unaware that the Frogg brothers were hunting again. Seeking vampires to kill; blindly certain that the undead were no more than bloodthirsty dangers to society. Convinced that vampires were evil and dangerous, that all vampires needed to be destroyed for the safety of humans everywhere. They were searching for David. Michael was with them, wanting to be there if they found David, certain that he would have dreams, nightmares and worries until he knew that the blond vampire was dead once and for all.  
  
The night had shown Michael the ruthless side of the Froggs. They had been merciless, shooting first, with crossbows and holy water. He was starting to wonder exactly how much separated the Froggs from the category of 'ruthless killers' that they had used to describe vampires. Granted, they weren't eating their kills, but... Michael scowled, trying to stop his line of thought. They were the good guys here, right? Right?  
  
Eventually, they left the parks, and the residential area, and the Froggs began prowling through the woods. They were convinced that all sorts of terrible things could be out here, vampires and ghouls and hellhounds. Which naturally explained why they had chosen to come out here. He debated suggesting that they get their heads examined, but concluded that it wouldn't do him any good.  
  
"Wait, do you smell something?" Edgar's voice disturbed the quiet.  
  
Michael tried to remain calm, to do nothing that would make them think that he was a danger, nothing to convince them to shoot him. He had the uncomfortable feeling that they would, even if he wasn't a vampire. He sighed, reminding himself once again that this was to keep Sam and his mother safe, to keep Starr safe.  
  
Inhaling, Michael savored the night air. There was the scent of the ocean, and a hint of some wild flower, and the scents of trees, ferns, and slightly damp earth. There was also the scent of vanilla on the faint breeze. Without even thinking, he spoke, puzzlement clear in his voice. "Vanilla? Scented candles, I think."  
  
Allen scowled at him. "The former almost evil dead's right. I smell vanilla. Where's it coming from?"  
  
"Not sure, it's being carried on the breeze. We'd best check it out." Edgar's voice was grim, and he checked his crossbow, making certain that it was ready to fire.  
  
Carefully, they began moving once more, walking into the wind, trying to find the source of the vanilla scent. Would it be something harmless? Maybe a couple trying to have a romantic moonlight picnic? Or would it be something more sinister, more dangerous? Michael had a bad feeling about what they would find, certain that there would somehow be trouble.  
  
End part 8  
David had just fed Willow another chocolate dipped raspberry, delighting in the feeling of her tongue swirling over his fingertips. He could tell that his features had shifted, feel the sharpness of his teeth, and every detail of the shape of her face, every strand of hair stood out in detail. He was starting to wonder if he had set himself up for a terrible frustration. Or maybe, just maybe... hmm... a guy could certainly hope that he would have a chance to learn just how passionate Willow could be.  
  
She smiled, leaning over to kiss him, fangs and all, her tounge brushing gently over his teeth, making him practically purr. She tasted of chocolate and raspberries and Willow. His hand slid under the hem of her shirt, tracing patterns over her hot flesh, feeling her muscles quiver slightly. David was starting to think that he had actually died in Santa Carla, and that he was now in heaven, with his very own angel. He reached out, running his finger through her hair, pulling her closer to him. He could feel the heat from her body, and wanted to drown in her warmth, to loose himself in Willow.  
  
A twig snapped, and the noise was followed by half muffled cursing.  
  
David reluctantly pulled back, wondering who was out in the woods. Were they human or demon? Were they hunting? How long would it take to slaughter whatever had decided to interrupt this moment? Another part of him was wondering exactly when he would have a chance to finish what he was hoping had been the plan for the evening.  
  
Carefully, he looked into the woods, trying to locate the source of the noise. Willow had a questioning look, and then she caught the end of the cursing. She gasped slightly, and pulled away, fussing a bit with her shirt, trying to put it back into order, blushing.   
  
Whoever it was, they were coming from downwind. He wouldn't be able to smell them, to learn anything useful that way. He rose to his feet in a smooth, predatory movement, a slight growl rumbling through him. He wasn't about to let some random idiot hurt his Willow. She was his wonderful sweetness, his sunshine in the night, she was simply his. And he intended them to have a long happy time together.  
  
Two figures in murky greens came into partial view, trying to use the shadows and small bushes as cover. He growled the name, furious that they had followed him here. "Froggs..."  
  
"Frogs? The evil slimy amphibians or the creepy mental case human types?" Willow's voice was tight with worry and a hint of fear.  
  
"The human ones. No amphibians are trying to attack us, I promise. But I think they have crossbows." David's voice had changed slightly, in a way that would be difficult to describe. He could feel himself shaking with rage, something that he had always assumed was just a figure of speech.  
  
The figures approached, trying to move quietly. There was the scent of garlic, reaching him even upwind. They had clearly come prepared to try to kill him.  
  
Willow began whispering words, something that David thought sounded like Latin. He became aware of a faint glow behind him, something with a greenish gold hue. Willow wasn't going to let her fear control her, good. Unfortunately, there were just enough tree branches that he would have some difficulty flying away. He would need to weave through the branches, which would take enough time that they could shoot at him. Which meant that the idea of just grabbing Willow and leaving was not his best option.  
  
With loud bellows, the Froggs charged into the clearing, and there were two crossbow bolts fired. One twisted in the air, going to the right in defiance of logic and geometry, clearly not a problem. David managed to twist out of the way of the second, and moved towards them with a growl. He barely noticed the third figure, registering only that the other guy with them didn't seem to be armed and was dressed in dark clothing.  
  
David seized the first Frogg, growling at him, debating for a moment the idea of sinking his teeth in, tearing out the mortal's throat. After a moment's thought, he decided against, and prepared to toss the now-terrified teenager aside. Willow didn't like the idea of him killing, and it would be frustrating to have her angry at him. Perhaps some mental suggestions would be useful? He hadn't actually mentioned that more serious suggestions could be made than seeing what wasn't there, or that if not implanted carefully, such 'suggestions' could be harmful to someone's mental health. Actually, these idiots were already in dire need of mental help, so that shouldn't be to much of a problem.  
  
"No!!" Willow's shout was loud, and filled with panic.  
  
He heard the clicking sound of another crossbow bolt being fired. Almost immediately, two things happened. The first was David felt himself shoved to the side, loosing his balance and falling to the ground, pinning the Frogg brother beneath him. The other thing was the air was suddenly filled with the scent of blood. David had a very bad feeling about what had just happened, a feeling of intense dread.  
  
Releasing his grip on the Frogg, he twisted around, trying to see what had happened. He had been knocked off balance by Willow, who was now on the ground with a crossbow bolt in her back. She was barely breathing, and there was a lot of blood. David felt his insides clench, as if he was being squeezed by a giant hand and everything inside of him went cold, knotted with fear.  
  
"Willow... no... please no." In a heartbeat, he was kneeling at her side, fingers frantically checking for a pulse, feeling fear flood his body.  
  
She was still alive, barely. He couldn't loose her, not when he'd only just found her! Filled with a sense of urgency, he carefully scooped her into his arms and leapt into the sky, desperately hoping that this would work. That he could save her.  
  
Michael had been following, wondering if the Froggs were as much of a danger as vampires when they had found the clearing. At a casual glance, it seemed as if they had walked in on a couple, the boyfriend angry and wanting to defend his girlfriend. Then, he had realized that the boyfriend was David, his eyes golden and his teeth sharp fangs. David had looked furious, and Michael had got a partial glimpse of a red haired woman behind David. The candles had been set up in the clearing, and there was a picnic basket and a blanket. There was a bowl of berries and an open container of chocolate out on the blanket.  
  
He had felt certain that they were interrupting. That was when the Froggs had shouted, charging towards David and firing their crossbows. Michael had watched, his feelings tangled and confused. He had no idea what had caused the one bolt to take a sudden right turn. Then David had moved, inhumanly fast, and had seized Edgar, lifting him into the air with a snarl.  
  
Michael had felt his breath catch when he saw Allen taking aim at David's back. Then, the redhead had shrieked 'No!', flinging herself into the path of the bolt, pushing David out of harm's way. The bolt had landed in her, right under the shoulder blade. The blood had looked hideously bright on her shirt, and Michael could almost swear that he could smell it, a horrible contrast to the vanilla scented candles. He felt his stomach lurch, more worried about the red haired woman than the possibility that he HAD smelled the blood, that the presumably gone vampire within him had returned.  
  
David had ignored the Froggs, kneeling beside the woman, his voice betraying worry and fear. He was begging for Willow not to be hurt, to stay with him. Then, David gathered the woman's unmoving body into his arms and was airborne, moving through the air in a frantic rush.  
  
Michael felt his safe view of things crumbling. He had thought that if the redhead, Willow, was in danger, it would be from David. But it had been Allan Frogg who had shot her. She had tried to save David, her boyfriend, even though it had been clear at the time that he was a vampire. She had been shot, by a human, while trying to save a vampire. Her vampire. This wasn't how it was supposed to be.  
  
end part 9.  
David flew in a rush, frantic to get Willow somewhere safe. He took her to the mansion that Angel was staying in. There was plenty of room there, and a good amount of first aid supplies, especially bandages. Unlike his apartment, it was also isolated enough that nobody would notice any noises, such as delirious ravings or pain-screams. He felt raw dread at the idea of Willow in pain, or dying. He would do anything to stop that.  
  
Angel sensed their arrival almost immediately, probably smelling the blood. There was far to much blood spilling from Willow's back, and it was bright red. David was afraid that the bolt may have hit her lung. He wasn't certain what to do, he had never made a study of medicine.  
  
"What happened? David, who shot Willow?" Angel's voice was almost frantic with worry.  
  
"The Froggs. One of them shot her... was trying to shoot me, she pushed me out of the way, but... it hit her."   
  
"Hold her down, we need to remove the bolt and put bandages on to slow... hopefully stop the bleeding. This will hurt her." Angel's voice was grim, and it was obvious that he was worried about Willow's chances.  
  
"She's unconscious. She probably won't feel it as much. The Froggs are still alive. It was more important to try to save Willow. I can kill them later." David was afraid for Willow. He held her body still as Angel removed the bolt, wincing as it was removed, the shaft glistening darkly with her blood.  
  
They bandaged her, but her pulse was weak, and her breathing was shallow. Her skin had also taken on a more ashen color.  
  
Angel frowned, worried about Willow's color and heart rate. "She's not doing well. She lost a lot of blood... she might..." He couldn't quite finish the sentence. Couldn't give voice to the awful suspicion growing in his mind. To speak it would be to give the idea power.  
  
"I'm not going to let her go! I need her." David's voice was thick with emotions.  
  
Suddenly, David had an idea. It was desperate, and might not work, but it was better to try than to simply... do nothing. "Get me that green bottle. The one I brought over. Quickly."  
  
"The one with your Sire's blood?" Angel was bringing the bottle, rapidly figuring out what David was planning. "I've seen what would happen if she were turned. An alternate dimension's Willow was brought over... She wasn't... wasn't the same person."  
  
David snatched the bottle, carefully shifting Willow so that he could pour some of the blood down her throat, praying that this would work. Praying that she was still alive enough that the blood wouldn't kill her. "My clan-line isn't the same as yours. That's what we spent hours talking about. Your line... you flip out when you change, rush into the whole bloodthirsty evilness bit. We still go bloodthirsty, but the rest of our personalities stays about the same. She would still be Willow..."  
  
"True, although... I suppose now isn't the time to revisit the various differences. Not until we know what's happening to Willow. Had you brought up the idea of making her a vampire before? She might have a few objections..." Angel felt awkward. Willow was one of his few friends. This attack on her... it made him angry, soul and demon both. Made him want to rip the people responsible limb from limb and revel in their pain and blood.  
  
David was running his hand over Willow's hair, over her cheek, tracing over her lips, now stained red with blood. "I'd mentioned halfs to her. Not sure if your clan really goes much for that, but... it's a partial change. Sensitive to the sun, but no flaming smoking burns. She didn't seem to upset by the idea, but we were planning on waiting until later, when she was a bit older. This... changed our timeline a bit."  
  
"Obviously. I somehow doubt you'd planned such a violent introduction either. Will she need blood when she wakes up?"  
  
"Maybe. The bloodlust will be there, although not quite as strong. Normally, it's almost an option for half vampires, but with this injury... I don't know. I can give her some of mine if she needs it."  
  
"If we're lucky. If she isn't so badly injured that it turns her completely. If... There are to many if's." Angel was not pleased with the whole situation. But what could he do? He didn't want to let Willow die.  
  
The two vampires sat, waiting to learn the fate of the redhead that had become dear to them both. Hoping and praying that she would wake up, that she would still be the Willow that they knew.  
  
end part 10.  
They sat there, unmoving, silent, simply watching Willow. She was on the couch, positioned on her side to avoid either laying on the wound, or laying face down, which might make it harder for her to breathe. They practically counted her breaths, watching for the faintest sign of how things would turn out. Would the injury be to severe? Would the blood save her, helping her to heal, to come back to the people who needed her? Or would the injury be so severe that the only future for her would be as a vampire? It was a risk, considering the injury and the blood loss. Every breath she took was that much longer that she was alive, that much less likely that she would die, even if only to awaken later as a vampire. Willow was still a creature of the day as much as the night, the transition would be hard on her.  
  
"She's a strong person, we both know that. She'll come through this... she has to. She knows how much we need her, how much she matters." Angel's voice was low, possibly so that he wouldn't startle anyone, or possibly he was simply thinking out loud.  
  
"She is an amazing person... strong willed, generous, forgiving... resilient. But Angel, she's only human. No matter how strong willed she is, mortal flesh has limits... will break and shatter. She could die, and her will might have nothing to do with it. I need her... she's everything I never knew that I wanted. She gives me balance, light in the darkness." David's own words were just as quiet, but almost vibrated with intensity.  
  
"This is where the element of faith comes in. We have to believe, and if not in God, or some higher power, then believe in Willow. She knows that you love her, right?" Angel had put one hand on David's shoulder, a gesture intended to comfort.  
  
"God? I think I gave up on having faith in God a long time ago. Before Max found me... things fell apart for me. I think... I might have been trying to get myself killed. Nothing mattered, there wasn't anything left for me. Then, Max made me part of his family... then there were the boys, Paul and Marco and Dwayne. We were a family, we could believe in each other. Now, their all gone... all that I have is here... with Willow." David reached out, his fingers skimming lightly over her brow, following a lock of hair down along her face.  
  
"Then believe in Willow. She believes in you. She believed in me... she gave me back my soul. She talked to me after I got back from hell... even when the last time she'd seen me I had been trying to kill her and everyone she had any reason to care about. She's the only person who really accepts that there's any significant difference between me and Angelus... that it isn't just an extreme mood swing. She believes enough in people... in everything for all of us." Angel looked at Willow, sighing over her pallor. "Besides, I'm here now. Consider yourself adopted into the line of Aurelius if you want. Pretty prestigious in the death and destruction circles... but... your family, if you want."  
  
"It's hard to convince myself that she'll be okay, looking at her like this. She's lost so much blood... she's too pale. Not to forget all the damage that damn crossbow bolt caused... how much it tore the insides of her.  
  
Once again, the vampires fell silent. They watched Willow breathe, each thinking about the redhead that had given them so much. New chances, new beginnings for them both. She had given Angel back his soul, and with it another chance to work for his redemption. But she had given David her heart, and was willing to give him her future. She was their sun in the darkness.  
  
The silence was broken by the sound of the door, and muttered curses in a male voice. They both tensed a moment, a growl escaping David before he recognized the voice as Xander. The sound of the footsteps came closer, each echo and scuffle a reminder of the tomb like silence of the mansion. The very stillness of the air intensifying their worry for Willow, a whisper of dread within them suspicious that the tomb like quiet might lead her to the grave.  
  
"Hey deadboy, any news on how Willow and David's evening went? He wanted to do this picnic thing... oh god... that's... Willow!" Xander's face paled as he caught sight of Willow, her face paler than either of the vampires, still and unmoving on the couch, her lips stained dark with blood.  
  
Xander dropped to his knees beside Willow, his eyes wide and filled with a mixture of anger, pain, denial and confusion. He reached out, and his hand wavered near her lips before brushing over her hair. "What... there's blood on her lips. How... who's blood is it?"  
  
Angel put a hand on Xander's shoulder, the same way that he had tried to offer a measure of comfort to David. "We're trying to save her."  
  
Xander turned, his expression caught between shock and horror. "Save her?!? By turning her into a vampire? How would that save her?"  
  
David spoke, his voice filled with anger. "Our picnic was interrupted. Vampire hunters. They tried to shoot me with a crossbow, and it hit Willow. I won't loose her, if this is what it takes for her to still be here, then so be it."  
  
Angel continued the explanation. "She might not end up quite a vampire. If the injury doesn't kill her, the change will only be partial. She will still be able to do mortal things, like sunlight and solid food. We don't know how it will turn out yet. She... the injury was very bad."  
  
Xander's expression spoke clearly: he didn't want to believe them. He turned back to Willow, his hand sliding over her back, and he tensed and froze when he found the bandages, slightly damp and sticky with her blood. "oh god... " He pulled his hand away, staring at the redness that dampened his fingertips.  
  
The silence again tried to fill the room, slightly lessened by Xander's breathing, fast and far louder than Willow's. He looked at the vampires, now seeing that they were as pained by Willow's plight as he was. Willow was quite possibly Angel's only friend, and she was... David had wanted her to be with him forever. This dawning understanding was evident in his voice when he spoke. "This changes everything, doesn't it? She's... the world won't be the same anymore. No matter what happens, everything will be different."  
  
"Everything will be different. Especially if... " Angel broke off, unable to finish the sentence. "We know who did this. They will pay, but Willow comes first."  
  
Xander nodded, his mind clinging to only the most important things. Willow had been attacked. The vampires were trying to save her. They would find the people responsible and kick their asses. Xander's voice was low, almost broken as he tried to imagine life without Willow. "If she... you'll make them pay? Make them bleed for what they did to Wills?"  
  
David's expression was far more feral that the expression that had appeared in the alley. "They will pay with their lives. They had been in Santa Carla, where I used to be. They chose to follow me here, and because of them, Willow was... hurt. I can't let that go."  
  
Xander only had one thing to say in response. "Make sure Buffy doesn't find out. She won't see it that way, not until later, maybe. Giles will understand, but he would probably say that it's wrong."  
  
Angel looked at Xander, his expression filled with shock. "Your actually okay with this idea? The idea that those mortals will most likely die horribly? You can't stand vampires."  
  
Xander shrugged halfheartedly. "I remember the hyena possession. Makes me understand some things better... everyone has a dark side. Mine wants whoever hurt Willow to bleed and scream and pay. The rest of me just wants her to get better. Anyone else, I'd be upset. But... they hurt Willow. I can't forgive that either."  
  
end part 11.  
The three of them sat there, loosing track of any measure of time beyond the continued breathing of the redhead lying on the couch. Gradually, her breathing had become steadier, a bit stronger. Her pulse was stronger as well, though it was still slow. Her eyelashes fluttered, the tiny motion immediately drawing the attention of the three males. They were alert immediately, hoping that she was alright, a bit uncertain what would happen next.  
  
"Where... this is... Angel's couch. how did I get here?" Willow's voice was small and rather faint.  
  
"I brought you here after our picnic was interrupted. Do you remember... what is the last thing you remember?" David's voice was low, his tone carefully even.  
  
"Wasn't there a couple of guys in camouflage? Those Froggs you mentioned... frogs are evil... spawn of darkness and ickky things. He was going to shoot you... I couldn't let him do that. It hurt... burned in my back, and then I felt all cold... did I ... I must have passed out. Help me sit up?" Willow's voice was a bit stronger, and she licked over her lips, as if thirsty.  
  
David helped her sit up, and Angel held a glass of water, droplets beading the outside, to her lips, helping her to drink. She looked so unsteady, sitting there. She looked fragile and pale. She looked down, staring at her fingers, one still carrying a smudge of chocolate along the nail. She lifted her hand, nibbling a it at the chocolate, her eyes filled with puzzlement.  
  
"I feel a bit... funny. My shoulder and back hurt... and my back feels all... sticky." Her nose wrinkled in dismay about her back.  
  
"Wills I'm so glad you're alive!" Xander moved towards her, wrapping his arms around her in an impulsive, but gentle hug, holding her close as if to reassure himself that she was here, that she was real. She hugged back, and he could feel her breath on his neck. Suddenly, he was shoved away with more strength than he had ever imagined Willow capable of, landing on the floor painfully.  
  
Willow was on the couch, her legs now pulled up against her chest, her eyes wide in shock, her hand over her mouth. Her eyes were golden as she stared at Xander.  
  
"Sweet? Are you..." David wasn't quite certain what to say. She had the eyes of a vampire, or half vampire. He could still hear her heartbeat, so she was half. But then, why had she shoved Xander away?  
  
"I... my teeth got sharp. Everything hurts... I'm hungry." Tears welled in her eyes, spilling over onto her cheeks. "I almost bit Xander! How do I get control over this?"  
  
David sat beside her, pulling her into his lap, his arms closing around her gently, pulling her close as he made soothing noises. Rubbing his hand in circles over her lower back, carefully not touching the injured area, he tried to help her calm down. "It's okay. You didn't hurt him, and you aren't going to. You half, not full, you won't have to go hunting. Everything will be okay."  
  
Her voice sounded small and afraid, slightly muffled by his shoulder. "I feel so hungry though, like my stomach is trying to tie itself in knots."  
  
Angel spoke, knowing that some things would be the same, regardless of bloodline. "It's because you were injured. Blood is the easiest way to heal, your body wants to have blood to fix your shoulder. If you aren't injured, it won't be as strong." He then glanced at Xander, wanting to check on the boy's emotional state.  
  
Xander had gotten past the shock of landing on the floor, and seemed to be processing the fact that Willow was now at least a bit vampiric. He glanced at Angel, his eyes full of question. "umm.. deadboy? Think umm... maybe we should leave those two alone for a bit. Maybe you can explain this half thing to me?"  
  
Angel and Xander quietly left the room, leaving Willow shaken and curled up on David's lap. DAvid could help WIllow sort everything out, and Angel could make certain that Xander understood what had happened to Willow.  
  
Xander could feel himself trembling, the relief and confusion setting in. His voice carried a plaintive edge. "Okay, she's still here... and has a new look. So... what's the difference between half and full vampires? Is she still going to be Willow? I need to know..."  
  
Angel gestured for the teen to sit, and pulled out a chair to settle himself on. He took a few moments to compose his thoughts, trying to decide how to explain this to Xander. "Half vampires aren't very common. Most clans don't bother. Sometimes, if a vampire wants to make someone part of their family, make them a childe, they change them into a half first. It sort of... eases the transition, since halfs can become full vampires easily enough, but not accidentally. Her personality... she's still Willow. She might be a bit easier to upset, a little uncertain... remember, this is a big change for her. But... she's still herself. She still cares about everyone that she cared for before. Otherwise, she... it takes willpower to resist feeding. She didn't bite you, not even a little. That's not just a sign that she cares, but it tells us that she can make it through this."  
  
Xander still looked uncertain. "Will she need blood? You said something about healing faster... How many vampire traits will she pick up?"  
  
Angel sighed, glancing at the table. "Vampires, including halfs, heal faster if we drink blood. She shouldn't need it normally... but right now, with her injury..." Angel's voice trailed off for a few moments. " I think David will be able to help her through it with no troubles. She will be able to go into the sunlight, although it will feel very bright. There's supposed to be something about reflections as well, but my family never had half bloods, so I'm not certain. She will be stronger, faster than she was before. Her senses will be better as well."  
  
"So, she's still going to be her normal Willowy self... will she have that whole mind trick thing going like he does? And will she set off Buffy's slayer vampire detection thingy?" Xander sounded calmer, as if he were accepting the changes.  
  
Angel considered the questions carefully. "Buffy... she's not very good at picking out vampires, even full ones, so she probably won't notice anything different. Mind tricks... that's normally a combination of willpower and practice. What do you think Willow will do about that? She will be the same, but... someone shot her when they were trying to kill her boyfriend. How would you feel if someone shot you trying to kill Cordelia? She's going to have to deal with that."  
  
Meanwhile, David was holding Willow, trying to help calm her down. He held her while she trembled at the idea of hurting Xander, and while she worried that Buffy and the others would reject her now that she was a half vampire. Finally, she seemed to have trembled and cried herself into exhaustion, and she simply lay there, curled on David's lap.  
  
"Are you still hungry? You probably need some blood..." David's voice was calm, attempting to coax Willow into answering.  
  
"Yeah... I am still sort of hungry. But I don't want to hurt anyone..." She looked at him, her golden eyes filled with worry, her sharp fangs peeking over her lip as she sucked on it in thought.  
  
"Simple... bite me. Drink some of my blood. It won't hurt me, won't endanger any of your friends, and it won't accidentally change you."  
  
"Bite you? But... won't it hurt you? Or leave you all weak?" She was looking at him, uncertainty on her face.  
  
"I'll be okay... just don't get to carried away. I can go feed more easily than you. Go ahead."  
  
Hesitantly, she leaned towards him, her tongue running over his neck, tracing where his pulse would be if he was alive. Her lips followed, kissing along the same line, over his throat, up the other side of his neck. He was practically purring beneath her, his arms holding her close to him. She grew more bold, nibbling at his flesh, her teeth giving little nips, not quite breaking the skin, but teasing at it, hinting at the possibility. David wasn't certain how much more of that he could take, her touch... those teasing little nibbles... He waited until she was about to make yet another teasing nip, and pressed her head against his throat hard, feeling her teeth break the skin, sinking deep into his throat. He groaned, the pleasure filling him, and held her close, savoring the feeling of his beloved sucking at this throat, drinking him down.  
  
Eventually, Willow stopped drinking. She felt as if her whole body was humming, pulsing with energy... Her back didn't hurt as much, and her whole being felt attuned to David, connected to him in a way that would be impossible to put into words. She sighed contentedly, and snuggled into his shoulder, drifting into a peaceful slumber.  
  
Eventually, David gathered his will, and heaved himself up from the couch, holding Willow close to him, and carried her to one of the spare bedrooms at Angel's mansion. She was exhausted, not only had she been awake most of the day before the picnic, but the disastrous ending had taken a lot from her, literally draining her. She needed the sleep, but the couch wouldn't be the best place for it.  
  
It was a bit sparse, but had a large closet that had, for some bizarre reason, held half a box of Marlboro cigarettes, a home-burned stack of Sex Pistols CD's, and a pair of scuffed black combat boots. It was one of only two extra rooms that was nice enough that David would consider leaving Willow in it, most of them being filled with dust covered boxes. He tucked her into the bed, her pale skin gleaming against the deep green sheets. His head swam slightly, and he found himself very aware not only of Willow's heartbeat, but of Xander's as well.  
  
He needed blood.  
  
end part 12.  
David moved down the stairs, his posture subtly altered into one that spoke clearly his predatory nature, his eyes still golden. Angel was explaining to Xander, trying to convince him that Willow would still be herself, still the generous soul that they all cared about. His blood was pulsing through him, like a thunderous beacon. David could feel his teeth itching, could almost taste the teen, his blood would be rich and sweet, flavored with the confused anger and lusts of adolescence... Shaking his head, he picked up one of the styrofoam containers of cow's blood that Angel kept in his refrigerator, and pulled the lid off, gulping down the flat tasting cold fluid. Finally, he thought that he should be able to control himself around the mortal.  
  
"She'll be alright. Willow's sleeping now, I tucked her into one of the spare rooms, the green one. She shouldn't be too hungry when she wakes up. Speaking of, what time is it? I could use a quick bite..."  
  
Xander looked at him, nervousness clear in his eyes. "Ummm too late for that. Sun came up maybe a half hour ago. How about... I'll just... go over to Willie's and get you something?"  
  
David frowned, hunger still strong inside of him. "That... might be a good idea. If you can get my bike back as well? I didn't take it back, it should still be near the clearing. Here, " He reached into his back pocket for his wallet, pulling out a sheaf of twenties. "Get the good stuff from Willie. Human, fresh as he'll sell it, not that that's saying much..."  
  
Xander stared at the stack of bills in his hand, his jaw dropping for a few moments. "Uhh... right. I can get your bike, and umm blood. From Willie's, and you want human. I can manage that..." Xander's eyes drifted upwards to David's neck, which still showed the deep marks of sharp teeth, and a slight shiver swept over him.  
  
Xander didn't quite run from the mansion, but it was obvious that he was tempted.  
  
David watched the boy leave, part of him still contemplating his probable taste, another part reminding him that Willow considered Xander her friend, and would be upset if he ate Xander. After a few moments, he walked over, and gulped down another container of the cow's blood, grimacing slightly at the chill of it.  
  
"Did she take that much?" Angel's voice was concerned, although it was questionable if he was more concerned for David or for Willow.  
  
"Yeah, enough that my head was spinning. Not that I really minded, there are far worse things than having a beautiful woman sucking on my throat, but... It left me feeling a bit weak, and hungry. Xander was starting to look pretty tasty. Willow's trying to get me to cut back, you know." David was leaning against the counter, an arrogant smirk on his face.  
  
Angel shook his head, a small smile on his face. "Next thing I know, you're going to start referring to people as Happy Meals on legs. There are times when you remind me a lot of Spike."  
  
"Who's Spike? Should I consider that an insult, or a compliment?"  
  
"My favorite Childe. He's also known as William the Bloody... he was my greatest childe, the one that I was the most pleased with. He was smart, cunning, ruthless on occasion, unconventional... He drove me crazy sometimes, and just about made me burst with pride at others. Not that it would matter to much now... we haven't really... when I was cursed by the gypsies, it broke apart our family. I had trouble dealing with the sudden guilt, and my Sire rejected me. I left before my Childer could as well... the next time I saw them, it only made things worse. Considering the disaster I made of things during my recent evil phase, I'm sure that he must hate me now." Angel's voice held sorrow, and pain.  
  
"You're brooding again. We're vampires, it's not in our job description to brood. Here, lets drag you out of that. What exactly shall we do about the Froggs? I'm thinking it should be violent, painful, and fatal, but that only narrows things so far..."  
  
The two vampires began discussing the many possible violent actions that could be taken against the Froggs, partly serious, and partly as a distraction from Angel's brooding. Things slipped gradually into mentions of past violent actions, and from there into a more gentle discussion of their pasts.  
  
Across town, Michael was laying on the narrow bed of the hotel room. He couldn't put the memories of the encounter with David and the redhead out of his mind. They had looked so peaceful, like they were in the middle of a romantic evening. Then, the Froggs had attacked... they had shot the redhead. She had looked so small as she had shoved David out of the way. The blood had been so bright as it blossomed on her back, and so horribly terribly wrong.  
  
David's voice as he screamed his denial had been filled with pain. It had been as if the girl had meant more to him than the possibility of his own death. Instead of attacking them, ripping the Froggs open and letting their blood pour out onto the ground, he had gathered up the redhead, Willow. Not a normal name, a name that spoke of peace, of untouched nature and grace. She had been pretty, and brave, and the Froggs had shot her. David had been the only one that had tried to do anything for her, pulling her into his arms and flying away with her.  
  
Edgar and Allan had simply been upset that they hadn't killed David. They had been trying to figure out why the first shot had gone so wide. Wondering what mental influences had caused the redhead to try to save David. He hadn't seen any sign of regret, or guilt for shooting her.  
  
He was starting to think that the Froggs were every bit as monstrous as David and his boys had ever been, possibly even worse. David and his boys... they had been ruthless, and had killed people. But they had only killed to feed, or to protect themselves. They hadn't gone out killing for fun. He was starting to think that he had made a very big mistake in mentioning that he'd ever saw David.  
end part 13.  
Willow eventually woke up, her back feeling itchy and almost bruised. That didn't seem right... she had been shot. Shouldn't it still be in the painful flaming agony phase? Her mouth was filled with a taste almost like stale copper, and she grimaced slightly as she ran her tongue over her teeth. They were their normal blunt shapes now, but she could remember them sharper. She remembered hugging Xander, and smelling his blood pulsing at his throat, her teeth growing sharp and a dark hungry urge almost making her sink her new fangs into his throat. Instead, she had bitten David, drinking his blood, tasting his essence. With a bit of effort, Willow emerged from the bed, making her careful way to the bathroom down the hall. She needed to brush her teeth.  
  
She stumbled into the bathroom, brushing her teeth and combing out her hair before the odd translucence of her reflection registered in her mind. She dropped the brush, staring into the mirror. She was still there, but not very solidly. She could see the wall through her reflection, as if her reflection were a ghost in a special effects movie. Glancing down, she was reassured that her body was as solid as ever. Her reflection was faded, washed out. Willow realized that it was yet another sign that she had changed, that she was different now than she had been yesterday morning. Looking into the eyes of her ghostly reflection, Willow sighed. She would simply have to adjust to these changes. If David hadn't done this... however it had been accomplished, she would surely be dead now.  
  
What else had changed for her? She would have to remember about the sharp teeth after injury thing, just in case she ever helped Buffy with Slaying again. A sudden thought occurred to Willow. Should she help kill vampires now that she was half vampire herself? Was that wrong? The watcher's book had also said something about sunlight... now, how had that gone?  
  
Willow searched the cupboards in Angel's kitchen, concluding yet again that no food had magically found it's way inside the mansion while she had slept. But she was hungry, although it felt like a lighter hunger, for food instead of blood this time. Sighing in frustration, Willow concluded that she would have to go out for something to eat. Not to be confused with someone to eat.  
  
Yawning again, she pulled one of Angel's sweaters over her shirt to hide the bloodstains, and wrote a quick note to leave on the refrigerator, 'woke up hungry - food type. Angel has no food, out for breakfast. - Willow'.  
  
She was feeling almost normal until she opened the door and walked out onto the sidewalk, where the sunlight hit her almost like a physical blow. She staggered, swaying a bit, and squinting against the almost painful brightness. She made her way to her parents house as quickly as possible, but her head was still throbbing by the time she made it in, whispering a prayer of thanks for her parent's firm belief that a shadow filled house with drapes and blinds was easier to air-condition. She made her way to her room, gathering a clean outfit so that she could manage a quick shower. Her back was mostly healed.   
  
She dressed, and went to the kitchen, helping herself to breakfast. She didn't eat quite as much as she normally did. She felt full a bit faster. Willow made certain to find a pair of sunglasses before leaving the house again, and she had carefuly folded Angel's sweater up and placed it in her backpack, which she was carrying in her hands, rather like a giant purse. Her back might be better, but she didn't think it was up to a backpack yet.  
  
Remembering Angel's empty shelves, she went to the grocery store, picking up some fruit and cereal that she could take back with her to Angel's. She had the feeling that she wouldn't be staying at her parent's house for very long. As she was headed towards the checkout, she almost ran into a guy, tall and lean, dark hair. He was dressed in dark jeans, and a Santa Carla amusement park shirt.  
  
"Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to bump into you like that." She gathered up the things that had fallen, hissing slightly as her shirt pulled over the still tender spot on her shoulder.  
  
The guy was looking at her, a gold hoop dangling in on ear, an oddly intent look on his face as he stared at her. "Are you... Willow?"  
  
"Ye-es. Who are you? Should I know who you are?" Willow's puzzlement was clear to anyone that might be listening.  
  
"You seem to have made.. but it's daytime out. I wanted to say... I'm sorry. I can't help but feel responsible, at least a little for last night. I... I had a run in with David once." The strange man's voice was intently sincere, and oddly apologetic.  
  
Willow puzzled over the combination, and then it connected for her. "You're Michael! David mentioned you. He said..." a slight pause as Willow remembered that the people all around knew nothing of vampires, reminded herself not to focus on their throbbing pulses or thundering heartbeats. "He said you almost joined his bike group, but... didn't. And you're sort of dating his ex, Starr?"  
  
"Yeah. Starr... we didn't want to join on a permanent basis. It got... ugly. But... I didn't mean... I never wanted you to get hurt. I was afraid that he would be a danger to you. I'm sorry. For last night, and for... what's happened to you that you're having the sunlight issues."  
  
Willow gave a small smile, remembering how David had said Michael had been afraid of the changes. "I'm not afraid of David. I'm not angry over anything he's done. David loves me, and I love him. umm... he would probably tell you to go away from here, go back to Santa Carla and Starr, and try to be happy together."  
  
"How can you be so... casual?" Michael's voice was full of confusion.  
  
"Why should I be angry at you? You didn't do it, the evil frog did. I told David that frogs were evil..." Willow let her mind contemplate the evil of the slimy amphibians for a few seconds. "You should go away. From Sunnydale, I mean. It isn't... safe, and it's going to be a lot less safe for the Froggs brothers after dark." Willow's voice was soft, tinged with concern.  
  
Michael sucked in a breath as the realization hit him "You mean... but he wasn't..."  
  
"No, he wasn't. But they came after him... almost got me. It was... bad. He won't let them get away with that. Neither would Angel... I'm actually rather angry about the whole thing as well. What the Froggs did wasn't right."  
  
He nodded, understanding exactly why she said the Frogg's actions hadn't been right. David would be angry, out for blood. He didn't want Sam anywhere near that. "Good luck Willow. It was... something."  
  
"Good luck, Michael." Willow watched as Michael went away, thinking about him and wondering if he would have made a good addition to David's family or not. Shaking her head slightly, she headed to the checkout, and took her purchases back to Angel's mansion. This was certainly not how she had originally thought her day would go.  
  
end part 14.  
Michael returned to the hotel, his mind racing as he tried to decipher the brief conversation with Willow. She was pretty, yes, but not a ravishing beauty. There was just something about her, a sense that she was real, that when she talked to you, you were the focus of her attention. He was left wondering how she had ever gotten involved with David.  
  
"Mike? You look like you aren't really here. What's on your mind?" Sam's voice dragged him back to awareness of the present.  
  
"I think we should leave. Now. Get your things." Michael's voice was flattened in an effort to keep the worry and dread of what could happen from his mind, from his brother.  
  
"What? Leave? What about the Froggs? Are you sure you're still feeling alright? No strange cravings or anything?" Sam sounded very worried.  
  
"Yes, leave, and leave now. We made a miscalculation. David wasn't in Santa Carla because of us. He wasn't after us at all... and they hunted him down and pissed him off. This is serious, Sam." Michael could tell that he was practically pleading with his brother.  
  
"Does this involve some girl? Because not only did that get you into a lot of trouble the last time, what would Starr say?"  
  
"There's a girl involved, but she's not my girl. She's David's girl, and I think he's really attached. Allan shot her last night... there was a lot of blood. David's going to be out tonight, and he's going to want the Frogg's to pay."  
  
"Wait... how do we know that he isn't going to come after us after he kills the Froggs?" Sam sounded worried.  
  
"All I have for that is what Willow said. She was at the grocery store... and she didn't look nearly so injured today. Wearing sunglasses though."  
  
"So she's one of them now?" Sam looked worried. "How do we know she isn't just trying to make us feel safe so she can get an easy meal?"  
  
Michael gave a small smile. "We wouldn't be particularly easy meals regardless. And I think she's only half vampire now because Allan shot her."  
  
"Right... so what happens if the Froggs need to try to get away? What happens when David comes after them?"  
  
"They're resourceful. They should be able to think for themselves, that's what got David so mad at them anyhow."  
  
"You really won't be too upset if the Froggs get killed, will you?" Sam's voice held a bit of suspicion.  
  
"No, not really. Only so much pointing of crossbows and death threats a guy can overlook."  
  
"We'll call them... make sure they have a ride if they need one?"  
  
"You can try if you want. I just want us out of here before sunset." Michael's voice was firm.  
  
Michael didn't think that they would be hearing from the Frogg brothers again. Honestly, he had the feeling that that would be just fine with him, and far safer as well.  
  
end part 15.  
Willow made her way back to Angel's mansion, holding her groceries close to her. She felt so much more aware of the way things smelled... She had found her eyes drifting a bit towards Michael's neck during that very brief conversation. When the teen running the checkout register had been unbearably slow, she had found herself listening to his pulse, wondering if it would speed things up if she yanked him over the counter and yelled at him, or if he would taste good. She had actually found herself considering the possible taste of some random skinny guy running a grocery checkout. She felt herself shiver, cringing a bit at the difference of it. She had never viewed people as food before, as potential meals.  
  
Moving into the kitchen, she began putting the groceries away, wondering if Angel or David experienced those strange feelings all the time. If they did, how had they had any sort of relationship with mortals? Although, David had enjoyed nibbling on her, maybe it wasn't just that he liked feeling her melt against him.  
  
"Willow... you must be feeling better. Groceries?" David's slightly sleepy voice carried into the kitchen.  
  
Glancing over, Willow saw him, dressed only in a pair of loose grey sweat pants, his bleached hair slightly rumpled, his blue eyes softened by drowsiness. She could only smile, knowing that he loved her, that she was only standing here because of his actions. "I woke up, and I felt hungry.. for real food that is. Only, Angel doesn't exactly keep a lot of food around here, so I had to go get some. It seemed really bright out..."  
  
"Any other problems? I know you haven't been half very long... Marco had some trouble adjusting." His voice held only concern for her.  
  
"Mmmm. I found myself going slow past the meat cooler. There as this guy who stopped me for a few words... turned out to be Michael, from Santa Carla."  
  
"MIchael? What did he want? If he bothered you... I could hurt him for you." David sounded somewhere between worried and angry.  
  
Willow could feel herself smiling. "You know I love you, right? But he didn't bother me. He said he was sorry... I think he must have known about me getting shot. He said he was afraid you would be a danger to me... that he never meant for me to be hurt. Something about being sorry that I was having sunlight issues. But... I kept finding myself checking out his neck. And I found myself debating eating the checkout clerk because he was so incredibly slow... I never used to think about eating people. Never. It's freaking me out a bit."  
  
In a heartbeat, he was there, holding her in his arms, no distracting heartbeat filling her ears. Willow leaned into his embrace, closing her eyes as she tried to stop imagining how her friends would react. "What if... what if they hate me now? What if Buffy thinks I'm dangerous... What if Xander is afraid of me..."  
  
"Shh... it will all work out. If Fluffy goes after you, I kill her. Xander should be able to get over it if he's nervous. He was pretty damn glad that you wouldn't be dead and gone. Here with more liquid protein in your diet shouldn't be a problem."  
  
"You really think it will be that simple? They were only just getting used tot he idea that I was seeing a vampire. There's a big difference between I'm dating a vampire and I am a vampire, sort of. I mean, yeah, alive, no flames from the sunshine... and the mirror thing was really weird looking, but... I'm glad that I'm still here."  
  
"Maybe a bit more complicated than that. You have me, and Angel, although not quite in the same way. Xander won't desert you either. If he does, I'll hunt him down and drag him back."  
  
Willow gave a small giggle as she leaned against him, her fingers tracing patterns over his skin, noticing how smooth and supple his skin felt, how much more she noticed about it.  
  
"mmm that's nice. Keep that up and I just might start to purr for you. Would you be terribly upset if I told you that Angel and I are planning some violence for tonight?"  
  
"Depends." Willow looked up, feeling herself almost drown for a moment in his eyes, so much like the perfect hue of the ocean... She shook her head slightly, dragging her thoughts back to focus. "Who are you planning on hurting? Why? Because I still don't want you two going out and just causing violence and mayhem because you can..."  
  
"The Froggs. They hurt you... almost killed you. I can't let that go, and neither can Angel. If you're worried, we plan to avoid Buffy, and unless Michael interefers, he should be safe. At least as safe as anyone else in this town."  
  
Willow shuddered in distaste. "Frogs are evil. That idea was only reinforced. Go... hurt them. Just don't get caught by Buffy, she wouldn't understand."  
  
"Maybe I wanted to spend some time with my girl before I go out for some violence, blood and killing?" With those words, David scooped Willow into his arms, smiling at her surprised squeak, and carried her into the other room, settling into a big leather chair. Leaning forward a bit, he kissed her.  
  
Willow kissed back, her hands running over his chest and arms, and she then kissed over his cheek, and down the side of his throat. He groaned at the feeling of her lips on his neck, pulling her closer to his body. Willow ignored the very broad hint, and instead kissed and nibbled her way down his chest, delighting in the slightly salty taste of his skin. She licked over his scars, making him shudder slightly, and shift almost awkwardly beneath her.  
  
"Willow... oh yesss.. you're killing me here..." David's voice was strained, and he held Willow, one hand entangled in her hair, his head thrown back, eyes almost closed in pleasure.  
  
She smiled, feeling oddly powerful. She had David, surely a Master vampire, beneath her, practically begging for her to touch him. There was also a not so small voice inside of her urging her to nip harder, to draw blood, to taste more than just his skin. This voice whispered about how good he had tasted last night, purring that he would like it, that they would both like it. She began to nibble over him again, biting a bit over his collarbone, drawing a hint of blood, swirling her tongue over the shallow marks. He gave a small gasp, pulling her closer to him, a soft, urgent whisper of her name passing from his lips. He tasted wonderful... shadow and passion and David.  
  
Shifting position, David whispered words that could have been a threat or the most delightful promise. "Time for you to know what you're doing to me."  
  
He licked over the side of her neck, smiling as she tilted her head to the side to allow him better access. He began a pattern of kissing and nibbling over her neck, his fingers nimbly unbuttoning her shirt, sliding over her skin. He nibbled more firmly, drawing thin lines of blood along her neck and shoulders, listening to her gasps and moans of pleasure. "You taste wonderful. Every bit as sweet as I'd thought you would..."  
  
Willow looked at him, her eyes thin amber rings around pools of shadow. "You've been thinking about how I would taste? Is that... oh... right there..."  
  
His words came around her throat, slightly muffled. "It's always there. I'm not human... you aren't quite anymore either. We wonder about how people taste... we hear their heartbeats... imagine their blood flowing into our mouths, over our skin... we are hunters. It's part of us."  
  
"that's .... ohh..." Willow wasn't certain if she was reacting more to David's words or his actions, nibbling over her neck and shoulder... hadn't she had a shirt on? One insistent thought began fluttering in her mind. "David... this is nice... but, maybe... not on a chair? Somewhere with more room?"  
  
"You are feeling better, aren't you?" With an almost wicked chuckle, David carried her eagerly back to the room, closing the door firmly behind him.  
  
end part 16.  
Hours later, with Willow sleeping peacefully in bed, David slipped out of the room, still buttoning his shirt. She would rest, and he would go make certain that the Froggs would never endanger her again. She would be safe, and she still needed some rest and healing. Turning, he saw Angel standing down the hall, dressed in leather pants and a dark red shirt.  
  
"She's asleep? Good, that will mean that she won't feel like trying to follow and keep us safe. I called Xander, he's on his way over to make certain she's alright while we're out."  
  
"Willow is still recovering from being shot! There's no way that she should try to go with us... but it does sound like the sort of thing that she would do." David couldn't help smiling as he imagined his Willow trying to keep them both safe.  
  
Angel gave an almost smile. "Exactly. She isn't known for worrying about if it's wise to help someone before she tries to help, which can be very good, or get her into a lot of danger. That's what makes her such a great friend."  
  
Contemplating both their plans for the Froggs, and their worries for Willow's safety, the two vampires moved towards the front of the mansion, where a small noise had indicated that someone had arrived, probably Xander. They were both looking forward to finishing the Froggs, far more than he would want to admit in Angel's case. They knew that if they were to have a measure of safety, they had to play within certain rules, rules that meant no killing or torturing humans. But the Froggs deserved it, and they would make certain that they got what they deserved.  
  
Tonight, they could let out their darker urges. Tonight, they would be monsters.  
  
Xander stood in the entry room, a backpack dropped on the floor beside him. He looked a bit rumpled, which could mean that he had been attacked, or that he had simply picked up wrinkled clothing this morning. Looking at the two vampires, his eyes widened a bit at the sight of Angel. He backed up slightly, clearly a bit nervous. "Ahh... Angel? Still soul-having?"  
  
Angel chuckled slightly. "Yes, I'm still soul having. But tonight isn't going to be Angel things. Tonight isn't going to be a couple guys who happen to have restrictions on their diet out for a walk. Tonight will be about pain, and blood and vengeance. Why not dress the part? Willow's resting, we just need you to make sure she doesn't come out to try to protect us."  
  
Xander was clearly trying to sort this explanation out. "I need to keep Willow from getting hurt again trying to protect one of you two. Angel will be back to normal tomorrow. Tonight is going to be messy. I think I got it... and I probably shouldn't ask. What I don't know I can't tell. I'm just going to go sit by the fireplace..."  
  
The two vampires left, certain that Xander wouldn't try to stop them. He would also do his best to keep Willow safe, she was his friend. Even more reassuring, Willow wouldn't accidentally hurt Xander, she had proven that last night. Confident of Willow's safety, they left, headed out for an evening of violence.  
  
Tonight, they would make aspiring vampire hunters realize the dangers of the dark. Tonight, they would get revenge for Willow's blood. Tonight, the Froggs would die.  
  
They had made it back to the mansion before the sun rose, both covered with blood and bits of bark and leaves from the forrest. Angel was smiling, remembering his earlier years, and for once not feeling guilty. For once, his soul and demon were in perfect accord: the people that had hurt Willow had needed to suffer and die. David was also grinning, feeling almost giddy. Angel was family now, not just because of Willow, but... something had clicked as they were torturing the Froggs. Angel was family now, down inside, where it was felt with the blood. It felt good to have family again.  
  
Making their way into the mansion, they could hear someone snoring. Silently, they made their way to the sitting room. Xander was sitting in Angel's chair, a math book fallen to the floor beside him, half curled, half sprawled in what looked to be an uncomfortable position, sound asleep. There was a blanket tucked around Xander, and several wrappers on the floor, from snack foods. Willow was on the couch, one arm curled beneath her head, the other dangling from the couch, her legs stretched along the couch, her bare feet revealing that at some point, she had painted her finger and toenails dark green. The two friends looked peaceful, and it seemed that there were no troubles between them about Willow's new status as a half vampire.  
  
"Maybe we should move them... that doesn't look particularly comfortable." Angel's voice was thoughtful.  
  
David looked at them, smiling at the sight of Willow. Then, he caught a look at his legs, stained with blood, and bits of forrest caught on the knees. "I think we should clean ourselves up first. As messy as we are..."  
  
Angel glanced at himself, as if he hadn't even noticed the state of his clothing. "Good point. We'll move them after cleaning up a bit."  
  
end part 17.  
Willow woke up very late the next day. Her back didn't hurt anymore, although it still felt a bit stiff. She had talked with Xander, making absolutely certain that he wasn't going to try to avoid her now. Secure that he was still her friend, they had talked about school, and she had found herself helping him with his math homework before he had fallen asleep on Angel's big leather chair. She didn't remember leaving the couch... but she was curled in the nice green bed, snuggled up against David. He must have carried her up to the room last night after he and Angel got back.  
  
Glancing at her watch, Willow winced at the time. School was almost over for the day. She would need to come up with an excuse for missing class. Yawning, she headed down the stairs to get some food, absently wondering if she should add a bit of animal blood to her regular diet just to keep the blood lust under control. Deciding that that just might be a good idea, and wondering if there was a particular type of animal blood that would taste better, she made her way to the kitchen. There was some cereal and fruit that she had picked up the other day.  
  
She was still sitting there when she felt a strange sensation, as if something inside of her were trying to shiver. Baffled as to what could be causing that feeling, she rinsed the glass that she had used to drink one of Angel's containers of blood (Cow's blood, according to the label). She was standing in the doorway, debating waking up David or Angel to ask them, when she heard the front door shut firmly.   
  
"Hello! Angel? Can I ask you a few questions..." Buffy's voice carried through the building.  
  
With a cold feeling, Willow realized that she was feeling Buffy's presence. As a half vampire, she could be in danger from Slayer's, so she sensed them, just like a full vampire would. Did that mean Buffy would sense her as a vampire? She would have to see, and hope for the best. Drawing in a deep breath, Willow stepped towards the front of the house, popping a couple mint chews into her mouth to disguise the scent of blood on her breath.  
  
"Hey, Buffy. I think Angel's still asleep. What's up?"  
  
"Willow... didn't expect you to be here. Anyhow, there were a pair of bodies found today, out in the forest. They were... it was pretty bad. It sounded like they were tortured to death. Near as the police could tell, it was a pair of teenage guys. Giles thinks it could have been something supernatural, and he wanted me to ask if Angel had any ideas about what it could have been. Are you feeling okay? I mean, you weren't in school today." Buffy looked unhappy, and worried.  
  
"I... David and I had a nice little picnic that we tried over the weekend. Except... there was a problem, and I got attacked by this... the whole things a bit blurry actually, except for the sharp painful feeling." Willow was twisting a thread from her sleeve around her finger, feeling tense and nervous. The bodies had to have been the Froggs. Buffy couldn't find out what had really happened...  
  
"Oh my god, are you okay?" Buffy looked very worried, and reached out with one hand, resting it on Willow's arm.  
  
"I've been better. David brought me here, and he and Angel tended my injury... it's on my back. I was sort of unconscious for that part. I feel better than I did then, and it looks like I'm going to live..." Willow gave a small, hesitant smile.  
  
"So Angel wouldn't know the most recent rumors? Has he been here with you and David all weekend?" Buffy looked both disappointed and annoyed.  
  
"They've spent the whole weekend trying to make sure that I recover safely and have no future problems from this." Willow felt pleased that that statement was even entirely truthful.  
  
Buffy sighed. "Giles is pretty sure that there's something about this that wasn't human. He said one of the bodies had been pinned to a tree by a crossbow bolt... and the whole scene had been really bad. I was hoping that Angel and i could figure out what did this."  
  
"Umm... aren't you two trying to be just friends now?"  
  
"Yeah... but friends can help each other find dangerous murdering monsters, right? At least here in Sunnydale... I know, just friends. But it's hard. Seeing him, and knowing that I can't have him, can't... well, you know. We don't want to run into that awful clause again."  
  
Willow could tell that Buffy was once again remembering everything that had happened when Angel had become Angelus. Buffy was blaming herself for everything again, and feeling upset that she couldn't have a wonderful romantic future with Angel. For the first time, Willow felt a surge of annoyance along with the usual sympathy for her friend. Part of her wanted to grab Buffy by the shoulders, shake her firmly, and say that as a Slayer, she had no business mooning after vampires, no matter how handsome and nice Angel was. Instead, she just sighed. "Well, maybe you can find someone, I mean, someone human that you can be with. There has to be a nice guy out there somewhere... right?"  
  
"Yeah... now if only I can find him out there. Let Angel know, okay?" Buffy had already started out of the mansion, clearly on her way to... something.  
  
Willow watched her friend go, feeling certain that while Buffy hadn't noticed during their talk, nothing would be quite the same again. She sighed again as she headed upstairs, thinking that maybe she should talk to David. Leaving Sunnydale after graduation was sounding better and better all the time.  
  
end part 18.  
Willow woke David up, and after she had reassured him that everything was alright for now, she told him about Buffy dropping by, and what Buffy had said about the bodies in the woods, finishing with a question, double checking that the bodies had in fact been the Froggs.  
  
"Of course, Red. Just the Froggs... that's all we did. Are you upset with me?" David had a small smile, as if he was trying to charm Willow out of being angry.  
  
Willow giggled, amused by the picture he presented. "No, I'm not upset at you or Angel at all. But if Buffy's looking for what ever did this... you guys will need to be careful. It also made me realize that things aren't going to be the same now, not really. I mean, Xander's still my friend. But... everything else... Buffy, school... that won't be quite the same. Leaving Sunnydale after I graduate seems like the best answer. So, where do you think we should go? Should we stay in California? Leave the state? Leave the country?"  
  
David grinned at her. "Anywhere you really want to go? Seriously, anywhere would be good for me, although if we can drive that's easier than travel by airplane or boat. Time zones for airplanes, travel time and hunger for boats. Those are important considerations for me, and they will become more important for you now as well. Maybe we can see if Angel has any suggestions for dealling with the Slayer, or if he has anywhere in particular to recommend seeing."  
  
Eventually, they were sitting in front of the fire, curled up together on the couch. Angel made his way in, still sorting out his dreams. Willow smiled at him, giving a small wave in greeting.  
  
Taking his seat on his chair, Angel sighed. "How did you sleep?"  
  
"Buffy stopped by earlier... she was asking if you'd heard any rumors about a supernatural something killing a couple teens in the woods. I told her that you and David had been tending me over the weekend. After a bit of thought, David and I were thinking that leaving town after graduation might be the way to go. We were wondering, umm..." Willow's voice faltered as she remembered her worries about how Buffy would react.  
  
"She doesn't know about your new condition?" Angel looked worried.  
  
David answered, his arms around Willow. "Willow doesn't think so. But she was right about something, things won't be the same for her now. We were wondering if you had any suggestions for a place to go afterwards."  
  
Angel sat in his chair for a while, considering their words. "She's right, things won't be the same. I'm not sure where to recommend, Ireland is rather picturesque, but that's my opinion. I just might be going with you though. I assume that Willow told you about the gypsy curse, and that damn clause? I think it might be best to go somewhere that Buffy isn't."  
  
David nodded, remembering what Willow had said. Willow looked thoughtful, and then asked Angel a question of her own. "Angel, why Buffy? I mean, I could feel her... slayer-ness I guess, and it felt all creepy, like something shivering inside. How could you get all... you know with someone that makes your insides squirm?"  
  
Angel gave a small smile, for the pure Willowness of the question. "I think at the beginning it was about proving that I wasn't the same as Angelus anymore. Then... it's like she's my addiction. I know she isn't good for me, but I just keep going back to her. She's like this warm fire in the cold night..."  
  
David sighed, looking at the other vampire with something between amusement and sympathy. "Fire burns though. Slayers aren't good for vampires, soul or not."  
  
Willow looked at Angel, her expression serious. "Angel... that isn't healthy. You need a better relationship, preferably with someone that doesn't make your teeth grate. Are there twelve step programs for people that are addicted to love, or Slayers or however you want to describe it?"  
  
He could only smile at her words. "You are still most definitely yourself, Willow. And I don't think there are programs for getting over Buffy Summers." He sighed, and looked thoughtful. "Maybe we can go somewhere together, after you graduate. I can help you and David adjust, and you can make sure I don't sit in a corner brooding about Buffy."  
  
David and Willow both smiled. "Deal."  
  
end 19, End Family Imperiled. 


End file.
